


If At First You Don't Succeed, Fake It

by Kimmi_watch



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe, Deputy Derek, Emotionally Constipated Derek, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hale's are still werewolves, Journalist Stiles, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, More tags to be added, Rating May Change, Switching, references to masturbation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-03 12:39:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1744916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmi_watch/pseuds/Kimmi_watch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was all Laura's fault. And Stiles'. Derek would not take responsibility for it.</p><p>Not. At. All.</p><p>Except who is he kidding? Derek has no one to blame for his family thinking he and Stiles are dating but himself.</p><p>When Laura misreads a situation and thinks Derek's bringing his not so secret crush, Stiles to her wedding, Derek has no choice but to go along with it. Unless he wants his family worrying about him. Definitely not something he wants, he couldn't stand that. If only it was simple. And if only everyone didn't love him so much, making it all that much harder. Including for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for ages and now I'm saying screw it and just posting it because I'm sick of it just sitting on my computer.
> 
> My title is lame, I know, but I suck at naming things.
> 
> Also, the rating will most likely go up on this and I'll be adding tags and character tags as it goes on. Other than that, enjoy!

Deputy Derek Hale was sitting at his desk at the precinct when he got the phone call that started it all. 

As soon as he answered the phone, his sister Laura was jabbering away in his ear about her upcoming wedding. He honestly didn't know what made her think it was a good idea to call _him_ , of all people, about the wedding. Even worse was that it was while he was at work. She bitched at him about the fact that the flower arrangements for the tables at the reception just weren't cutting it or whatever, he kind of started tuning her out. Sadly, it was what he had to deal with on a seemingly daily basis.

Then came the question that he'd been dreading. A question that had been suspiciously absent from all of her previous calls to him about the wedding. One that his mother had been surprisingly quiet about too.

"So, are you going to be bringing a date to the wedding?" She asked, all false innocence that wasn't fooling him one bit. Like she wasn't going to let their mother sic some poor single person from another pack on him to try to _make_ him date someone if he didn't bring someone of his own volition. 

He'd told them time and time again that he wasn't interested in dating anyone. He hadn't been interested in dating since he'd told his last girlfriend, Paige, his biggest secret, that he was a werewolf. She'd taken it badly. Incredibly badly. She'd been scared and couldn't even stand to look at him after his big reveal. That had left him feeling like he couldn't let anyone get close to him again, that he wouldn't find someone who would accept him for who he was, completely. 

Just as he opened his mouth to tell her that no, he wasn't bringing anyone and to please leave him alone about it, he glanced up and spotted the bane of his existence creeping along the wall in what he probably thought was a stealthy manner but was just plain ridiculous. Instead of his reprimand to his sister, and annoyed sounding "Stiles," came out instead, startling the younger man into jolting against the wall in surprise at being caught out. The 'what the hell are you doing?' that was supposed to follow up the name was cut off by the sound of his sister squealing excitedly in his ear. 

He was confused for a moment because he had no idea what the hell had gotten her so excited. But then it all came crashing together.

"Stiles? You're bringing _Stiles_ to the wedding as your date?" She asked in between her supersonic squealing that he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to hear if he wasn't a werewolf and didn't have heightened hearing. And yes, he was making a dog joke about himself but he was allowed to if he wanted to and no one could hear it. "I knew it, I knew it, I _knew it_! It's about damn time that you pulled your head out of your ass long enough to jump all over that sexual tension between the two of you, little brother." She crowed happily, making his eyes widen.

"S-sexual tension?" He stammered in shock. He had no idea where she'd gotten that idea from, there definitely wasn't any sexual tension between him and Stiles Stilinski at all. The only thing there was between them was a grudging respect, a little light hearted animosity and a whole lot of back and forth jibes between them, definitely no sexual tension. 

Laura needed to get her senses checked if that's what she thought was going on between them.

Stiles was the town's one and only investigative reporter. He imagined himself somewhat of a super sleuth and was constantly sneaking into the Sheriff's office to snoop through files and help solve the crimes. Derek held a grudging respect for him because he didn't use any of the information he gleaned from these illegal trips in any of his columns until after the suspect had been taken into custody and went through the system, and the only way he got in the middle of an investigation was when he was out foolishly trying to help and got caught in the middle. 

He was also the Sheriff's one and only son, which was why the most that had happened to him was spending a night in lockdown here and there to try to teach him a lesson. 

Sadly it hadn't worked yet. And probably wouldn't ever.

"Oh, Derek, did you really think we wouldn't notice?" Laura asked condescendingly, making his eyebrows pull down in confusion, a face that he knew certain loved ones of his called his constifused look. A look that apparently only he could pull off that looked equal parts confused and constipated. They said it was a look he pulled when he was particularly thrown by something and that it happened quite a lot.

He seriously didn't know why he associated with these people sometimes.

By now Stiles had stopped with his utterly terrible ploy to get into his father's office - probably looking for the file on the spate of break-ins sweeping the town - and was standing in front of Derek's desk, staring at him in confusion. Usually if Derek snapped out at him like that it would be followed up with any number of insults and jibes at his lack of sneakiness. Which meant he had every right to be wondering why the deputy was suddenly as white as a sheet.

"Notice _what_?" Derek snapped at his sister. He honestly had no idea what she was talking about and would really appreciate her giving him some type of clue.

"You talk about him all the time. Every time I see you it's Stiles did this and Stiles did that. Stiles wouldn't stop talking today and this is what he said, verbatim. Stiles was wearing the most ridiculous shirt today and his pants were way too tight, I thought they were going to rip when he bent over, like that wasn't something you'd only notice if you were staring at his ass." He really didn't appreciate the tone she used when she was mimicking his voice. His voice was definitely not that whiney. He certainly didn't appreciate the words she was saying either. "You weren't as sneaky with your crush as you thought you were being. You act as though there's nothing interesting in the world unless Stiles is involved in it." She told him. His eyes widened, darting up to Stiles and back down again in a panic when he saw him trying to lean in closer to hear what was being said on the phone that was making him look so freaked out. 

The last thing he wanted was for Stiles to hear this conversation. He would probably taunt him about it until the day he died. 

Or believe it was true.

Dear God, please don't let him believe it was true!

Honestly, the only reason he talked about Stiles so much was because the moron was constantly inserting himself into the middle of whatever was going on. Whether it be annoying him when he was standing in line to get his morning coffee, sneaking into a crime scene when he definitely shouldn't be there or just showing up at the precinct to talk to his dad, he was always just _around_. Everywhere. Was it his fault that all of his complaints and stories had Stiles in it? 

No. No, it was not. 

"But anyway, I'm glad you finally did something about it. Seriously, Derek, this has been going on since he was in _high school_. It's about time you manned up and acted on your feelings." She added casually, making even more color drain out of his face. 

Since Stiles was in _high school_? 

What the hell was she talking about? 

No, that was just... no.

Sure, there was that period of time back when Stiles was in high school and a rogue Alpha had blown into town and been the center of a whole lot of trouble, both for the pack and the town in general. It had nearly bitten Stiles' best friend Scott because they were stupid enough to be out in the woods, hunting for half of the body that the Alpha had left behind of one of his victims. 

This had lead to Stiles getting really close to figuring out the secret of his family because of his need to dig into anything that caught his attention. 

Which had meant that he took to following Derek around in that not so sneaky way of his to try to catch him out at doing something because apparently he'd been his number one suspect at the time for some odd reason. 

(Okay, so maybe it was his fault for standing and trying to be all intimidating to them when they were looking for Scott's inhaler but he tried to forget that. He'd been coming out of a bad place at the time. Sue him.) 

And sure, he'd talked about him a lot back then too, but it was only because he was so close to finding out the truth and he was an annoying little brat, nothing more to it. 

And yes, maybe he had argued that they should just tell him the truth back then, but it had only been to get him to stop snooping. That was all. There was no ulterior motive there, no other reason other than the ones he'd told them at the time. 

(Or at least, no one could prove anything to the contrary.)

"I have to go." Derek said abruptly, slamming the phone back into it's cradle and pushing himself away from the desk as though putting distance between him and the phone would mean he could put distance between the whole conversation and it's repercussions. He wondered if it was also in a hope that if he pushed himself back far enough he'd go back in time and stop the whole conversation from happening in the first place. 

This was too much. Who else in his family misguidedly believed that he had feelings for Stiles? And how long had they thought that?

"You okay there, buddy? Your usually scary eyebrows look like they're trying to scamper off your face in fear right now." Stiles asked, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder, or maybe he was attempting to stop his eyebrows from escaping, he didn't know. Derek knocked his hand away either way, pushing even further back so his chair was now backed up right against the wall. The last thing he needed after that conversation was to go home with Stiles' scent clinging to his body. 

With his luck there'd be a family member or ten waiting for him there.

"I'm fine." He grit out, avoiding eye contact with him, feeling like his eyes would flash blue if they did. "What are you doing here?" He asked, trying to get back on track to what had caused this stupid misunderstanding in the first place. Though it was probably better that he found out what Laura thought now than have it come back to bite him in the ass sometime else down the line. 

Of course it was just as bad now as it would be later, but that wasn't the point.

Stiles' expression changed from concerned to fake nonchalance in a blink of the eye, actually going as far as shoving his hands deep in his pockets, kicking at the ground and whistling. The guy was ridiculous at the best of times, how could anyone think that Derek had anything more than a passing interest in him? Just because he had eyes that were more suited to a werewolf than a human that left Derek feeling confused. And a mouth that seemed to enjoy doing obscene and ridiculous things to any object that came anywhere near it. And that Derek had maybe thought about his hands in a less than professional or passing way. 

That didn't mean anything. 

Absolutely nothing at all.

"Oh, you know, just coming to visit my dad." He finally said, giving an over exaggerated shrug. Derek snorted, his mind going back to the way he'd been inching across the wall with his back flat to it as though he was in some terrible spy movie. He wouldn't be surprised if the fool had been singing some type of theme song in his head. That was definitely not the behavior of someone who was just going to visit their father.

Derek reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his handcuffs, throwing them on the desk with a loud clunk. "Am I going to have to use those, Mr. Stilinski?" He asked, certainly not enjoying the flush that rose to the other man's cheeks the words provoked.

"Wow, dude, propositioning me at your place of work? That's bold, man. I mean, if you're into that kind of thing..." He trailed off, giving him an absurd looking leer. Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as though just being in Stiles' presence was exhausting, which it was sometimes. Sure, there did always seem to be this stupid flirtatious edge to their dealings with one another, even when Stiles was in the midst of telling him off for providing his father with junk food while they were on the job, but Derek unintentionally flirted with everyone and it seemed like Stiles just needed the practice.

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you Stilinski?" He asked, his voice going down in register, almost sounding like a low purr. 

There must have been something stuck in his throat or something. 

Stiles swallowed heavily, opening his mouth to no doubt say something stupid, when then the Sheriff walked in.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" He asked, making both men jump in surprise, guilt spreading over both of their faces.

"Nothing." Stiles said hurriedly. The Sheriff rose an eyebrow, not believing him for a second, before turning to look at Derek.

"He didn't get in your office." He assured him, making Stiles scowl at his mission being discovered. 

"Come have lunch with me, son. I need to talk to you." The Sheriff said, walking over to clap his son on the shoulder, looking between the two of them meaningfully. Stiles gulped, sure that he was going to be told off for trying to interfere in an investigation, again. Derek frowned in confusion at the look he was given. He had no idea what he might have done to earn that look, unless the Sheriff had expected him to actually _let_ him into his office?

"Sure. No problemo, Daddio." Stiles said, drawing the words out and giving him a two finger gun salute, which just made him look asinine and was definitely, _definitely_ not cute.

The two men disappeared into the Sheriff's office, leaving Derek to stare at his phone and consider how he was going to correct his sister's assumption that he had feelings for Stiles and was bringing him to her wedding as his date. He still hadn't come up with anything ten minutes later when there was the sound of a loud yelp and a crash coming from the Sheriff's office (not an odd occurrence when Stiles was involved), and he still hadn't come up with anything half an hour after that when Stiles emerged from his father's office, his cheeks flushed pink as he approached Derek's desk.

"So..." He said, drawing the word out and letting it hang in the air between them. He reached out and fiddled with Derek's nameplate, his eyes darting from Derek to the desk and back over and over. Derek frowned in confusion, trying to tear his eyes off of Stiles' long, long fingers. They were distracting as they twirled round and round over Derek's nameplate so he snatched it out of his hands and shoved it in a drawer so he could concentrate on whatever was happening here.

"So?" He asked, wanting to get whatever Stiles was going on about out of the way so he could get back to figuring out how to let his sister know the truth. The truth that would probably end up embarrassing them both and letting her down all at once. Plus he still had work to do and Stiles being there, right in his face, was not letting him get back to it.

"Did my inappropriate flirtations cut into your question?" He asked, finally building up the nerve to connect eyes with him. Derek's eyes widened because neither of them had ever acknowledged out loud that what they were doing was flirting.

"My _question_?" He repeated back slowly, not knowing just what in the hell he was talking about, and Stiles nodded.

"Don't be mad, but my Dad told me." He admitted, but that just confused Derek even more.

"Told you _what_?" He snapped. He was getting annoyed with this, he had real things to worry about. 

Stiles flushed brighter and started kicking at the ground. "Well, I mean, I don't want to embarrass you but I was just embarrassed by my Dad so it's only fair." He told him and Derek felt his breath catching in his throat, worried about what he could possibly be talking about. "Your mom called my dad and told him about how you were taking me to your sister's wedding and my dad asked why I didn't tell him and I said that I hadn't been asked yet so... I mean, you can ask me now." He told him, rushing the words out in one long breath. 

Derek's eyes grew steadily larger as Stiles explained what had happened. His mother must have been listening in on his conversation with Laura and had decided to meddle and ask the Sheriff about it.

Oh crap. This was not good.

Derek shot up out of his seat and grabbed Stiles' arm, dragging him out of the room and into the evidence room in the back so he could talk without being overheard. Once they were there he let go of him and started pacing.

"I _wasn't_ going to ask you to my sister's wedding." He told him. He knew he sounded maniacal but he could not believe this was happening. 

He'd had a plan, okay, and that plan had been to ignore his attraction to Stiles until the end of time because he seriously could not imagine letting himself admit he was in love again after what had happened with Paige. Not that he was _in love_ with Stiles, that was just crazy talk.

"You... weren't?" Stiles asked, his face first going completely white in shock and then red in embarrassment. Derek shook his head, trying to convince himself not to feel bad about this whole thing because it was really Stiles' fault in the first place. If he hadn't been fucking around trying to sneak into his father's office, Derek never would have called out his name. If he hadn't called out his name there would have been no reason for his sister to have jumped to stupid conclusions and everything would be fine.

"No Stiles, I _wasn't_." He said condescendingly. He felt like an ass but better to be an ass than to let himself actually feel the embarrassment of this whole situation. "It was a huge misunderstanding. Why the hell would I want to take _you_ to my sister's wedding?" He snapped and Stiles let his eyes drop to the floor.

"Fine then. Let's forget this ever happened." He muttered. Derek could still see that the tips of his ears were red and he looked like he was trying to stop himself from having an emotional reaction, whether that be tears or anger he had no idea and he didn't _want_ to know either. Neither reaction was something Derek was comfortable to see.

"Great, let's do that." He agreed, shouldering his way past Stiles and reaching for the doorknob. 

Except it wouldn't work when he tried to open it.

Seriously, his life.

"What are you waiting for?" Stiles asked, and there it was, that emotional reaction. And yep, that was definitely anger.

Which meant that he had to get out of there as soon as possible because a pissed off Stiles was a gorgeous Stiles.

"It's stuck." He bit out, refusing to turn around. He knew that if he turned to look at Stiles he'd see the hurt masquerading as anger in his eyes and he couldn't stand to see that.

"What do you mean it's _stuck_?" Oh yeah, he was definitely pissed. "Let me try." He demanded, pushing Derek to the side and attempting to open the door himself. Derek couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction when it didn't work for him either. Stiles turned to give him a withering glare but it dropped off his face when he realized how close they were, standing face to face and sharing breath. Derek's smirk melted off his face as well and he couldn't help but swallow heavily. "Break the door down." Stiles whispered and Derek found himself nodding along as though hypnotized, at least until what he'd said actually penetrated his brain. 

"What do you mean, break it down? How am I going to break down a solid door, Stiles?" He asked snootily and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Come on Derek, we both know you could break down this door." He told him. Derek's eyes widened. Sure, it was true but Stiles definitely should not know that. Stiles blushed, waving towards his arms. "Those muscles have to be good for something, right?" He added weakly. Derek let out a sigh of relief. 

His arms. 

Of _course_ that's all he meant.

Not the other thing. 

He didn't even know the other thing.

"They're good for a lot of things." He told him and, yep, that was his voice coming out all low and husky. Which really, now was not the time, but Derek's brain was obviously not getting the message. Stiles shivered but stared at the floor again.

"You are _really_ confusing." He accused softly. Derek frowned.

"Confusing? How?" He asked. He had no idea how he was confusing. People usually called him _simple_ , though that was usually his sisters and they were just saying it to be dicks but still. Stiles turned to him again, that anger in his eyes firing back up.

"This. You flirt with me all the time, Derek, but then you act like taking me to your sister's wedding would be the biggest joke in the world." He argued, throwing his hands up in the air. Derek stared at him and his words had the desired effect, he was starting to feel like an ass. Stiles huffed in annoyance and turned away from him, pounding on the door. "Hey, let us out!" He yelled, trying to attract attention. Derek stared at him for a beat longer before sighing and turning to do the same.

He was just yanking on the doorknob, wondering if he should just break it off and blame it on shoddy materials, when the door opened in front of them. Because they'd both been leaning heavily on the door they fell to the floor. Unfortunately because they'd been standing so close together they fell in a jumbled pile of limbs, Derek making sure that he was on the bottom so he could break some of the other man's fall. He had more bulk, not to mention werewolf strength and healing on his side. 

"Derek, I appreciate the fact that you're apparently dating my son, and God help you for it, but could you maybe not do that here, in my place of business?" The sheriff said, standing above them looking way too pleased with himself. Both men sputtered and untangled themselves, standing up as fast as they could. Derek knew it probably would have been better if he'd just moved away from Stiles, put as much distance between them as possible, but instead he found himself standing shoulder to shoulder with him, as though they were a united front.

"Dad!" Stiles whined, shaking his head. "We weren't doing anything." He swore but John definitely didn't look like he was inclined to believe him. 

"He's right sir, we weren't doing anything." Derek agreed earnestly.

John snorted. "So you just took my son, the investigative reporter who is always after anything he can get his hands on, into our evidence room for a nice little _chat_?" He asked doubtfully. Derek realized that he was right, it did look really bad and maybe the evidence room hadn't been the best place for him to have dragged Stiles into. 

Then again, there wasn't really anywhere in the station that would have looked any better. 

John nodded, taking their silence and slightly red faces as confirmation of their guilt. "That's what I thought." He said happily. "Derek, your mother wanted me to tell you she wants you to join her for dinner once you're finished with your shift. Which is also me reminding you that you're supposed to be working right now and not canoodling with my son in small spaces." He pointed out, giving them both a look before walking back to his office.

The two men stood side by side in stunned silence for a moment before turning to look at each other.

"So... everyone thinks we're dating." Stiles pointed out and Derek nodded. "And they think you're taking me to Laura's wedding." He added and Derek nodded again. "Um, what are we going to do about that?" He asked curiously. Derek growled and shook his head.

"Just... I'll sort everything out. Leave it to me." He ordered, turning and stalking back to his desk, cursing him in his head the whole way there. When he looked back, Stiles had disappeared, leaving Derek free to let out a groan of embarrassment and face plant into his desk.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek has dinner with his family and tries to set the record straight. Tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the response to this story has really blown me away! Thank you so much for all your comments, kudos, bookmarks and subscriptions. It blows my mind that so many people are liking my work! I hope you like the next part just as much.
> 
> As you'll see, I'm going to be playing with some of the characters ages in this.

Being summoned to see his mother never failed to make Derek feel like a little kid who'd gotten busted with his hand in the cookie jar. To make matters worse, she was more than just his mother, she was his Alpha too, so it was almost like he was getting in twice as much trouble. It was like he was being summoned to the _principal's_ office for being caught with his hand in the cookie jar and getting grounded and detention for it all at the same time. 

He stood outside of his parent's house for a little while, trying to figure out in his head how to set everybody straight about the whole Stiles issue. 

It wasn't going to be easy but it had to be done. 

He knew that his parents weren't alone in the house, no that would be too easy. The house was actually filled to the brim, which was odd for that day. It was almost like they'd decided to throw an impromptu family dinner simply to catch a glimpse of his embarrassment. It wasn't let's-embarrass-Derek-family-dinner night, that was Friday nights not Tuesdays, but still, everyone was there.

His parents were in the kitchen being pestered by his cousins, 12 year old Drew and 10 year old Emily, the kids wanting food. His brother Isaac, sister Cora and her boyfriend Jackson were somewhere in the woods behind the house because he could hear their heartbeats as they ran around and acted like fools under the name of training. Nana Hale was out on the back porch with his aunt Eliza and he could hear the clicking sounds of their knitting needles going a mile a minute. His uncle Simon was inside setting the table, actually doing something useful, unlike the others. He could hear Laura and her fiancée Lydia whispering away in what seemed to be Laura's old bedroom, and that's where he stopped listening to them because listening to them in the past had scarred him more than he could ever say. The sound of a motor roared down the driveway and Derek groaned, not even needing to look to know that it was his uncle Peter on his motorcycle. 

And that meant that the whole family was there. Great, just great.

"Ah, Derek." Peter said once he'd parked his motorbike and climbed off. "Are you going to stand out here brooding all night or are you going to come in and join us?" He asked, moving to stand next to his nephew. Derek glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe I _will_ stand out here all night." He said petulantly. He felt ridiculous acting this way, especially standing there in his deputy uniform with his badge digging into his arms and his gun and cuffs still on his hip, but Peter just brought out the child in him and always had. 

Actually, his whole family seemed to have that effect on him.

"Derek, you're not standing out there all night. Come inside now." His mother said from the kitchen, not even needing to raise her voice but the order still clear in her tone nonetheless.

Derek sighed and sent his eyes heavenward, praying for strength to get through this. Peter clapped him good naturedly on the shoulder, using that hold to steer him into the house and towards the dining room. As soon as they stepped foot inside the whispering coming from up in Laura's old room stopped and the soon to be newlyweds came stomping down the stairs. They met him at the base of the stairs, Laura and Lydia giving him creepily similar smirks.

"Stiles Stilinski, Derek?" Lydia asked, moving to stand next to him and leaning her cheek against his arm. "He's cute. I used to babysit him when he was younger. He was hopelessly in love with me all throughout his childhood, you know. Do you think you can stand having me as your competition?" She asked mockingly. Derek rolled his eyes.

"I think I can handle it." He assured her before groaning as he realized he was supposed to be putting a stop to this nonsense. "No, wait, that's not what I meant to say." He argued but Laura cut him off.

"I think it's _cute_. And like I told you, it's about damn time you two got your heads out of your asses and just made with the fucking already. Ooh, are you even _at_ the fucking stage yet?" Laura asked, looking weirdly invested in whether he was having sex with someone, especially seeing as though he was her brother and he never ever wanted to hear about _her_ having sex with anyone. And he was not even going to think about all the times he'd accidentally _overheard_ her having sex, that was one of the sucky things about being a werewolf.

"Please, with the chemistry between those two and the months, scratch that, _years_ they've been panting after each other, I bet they did it on the first date. Or even before it. Yes, I'm going to say that the sex came first and the talk about feelings came second." Peter announced jovially, hanging by Derek's elbow. Derek glared at them all, thinking they were ridiculous and that he hated all of them. 

He couldn't believe he was related to these people.

"Hey, dinner is served. Enough torturing poor Derek, come and eat." Their father, Andrew, announced from the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and giving them all a stern look. Derek grinned at his father, thankful for the support. The others groaned but turned to head into the dining room regardless. Derek trailed behind them, exuding his smugness at their getting put in their place from every pore, and pat his father on the shoulder as he turned to join them. "Besides, I spoke with John earlier. They're definitely sleeping together. Apparently they snuck away to the evidence room at the station to do some canoodling earlier." Andrew declared, making everyone else crack up laughing but Derek groan.

"I hate you all." He told them, sinking sulkily into his normal seat.

Thankfully his mother managed to quiet everyone down so they could start their meal. Derek dug into his food, ignoring the conversations happening around him and simply staring at his plate. He was hoping that if he just ate his meal quickly enough he'd be able to make a break for it and avoid talking about anything else. It wasn't like he was planning on running away from telling them the truth about him and Stiles, he'd just prefer to do it over the phone. 

Far, _far_ away from them all.

"So, Derek, honey, why didn't you feel comfortable telling us about Stiles earlier?" Talia asked her son, making all other conversation grind to a halt in a heartbeat. Derek felt the tips of his ears turning red as every eye at the table turned to face him.

"Mom, it's not like that." He told her, because he _wasn't_ dating Stiles, but she shook her head.

"It _is_ like that." She argued, not knowing the truth. "Did you not feel comfortable telling me because of what happened when he was in high school? Because of how you argued for him to be let in on our secret and I refused? Did you think I wouldn't accept your relationship with him? Because that was _different_ , he was a teenager and too young to handle knowing our secret without good reason." She told him. Derek frowned and shook his head. She wasn't understanding his way of trying to tell her he wasn't dating Stiles.

"No, it's not... we're not..." He trailed off, shaking his head. This was a whole lot harder than he'd thought it was going to be.

"Oh, Derek's finally taken the Stilinski boy as his mate?" Nana Hale piped up suddenly, looking pleased as punch. "It's about damned time." She added and Derek turned to look at her, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"Nana." He said, shaking his head. Even if he did have feelings for Stiles, there was no way they'd be at the _mate_ stage. Stiles probably wasn't even _mate material_. The only thing Derek might want from Stiles was a little fun, not a lifetime commitment.

"Oh Derek, did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Nana asked, shaking her head at him. "You practically go into heat every time the boy is close enough to smell. It was inevitable." She said dismissively. "Now be a dear and pass the peas." She added. Derek numbly handed her the peas, unable to do anything but stare at her.

"Oops, we broke his brain." Laura said with a smirk, knocking his shoulder with hers. He turned to glare at her. This was all her fault, after all, and he would not be forgetting that. 

"We're only being like this because we've been so _worried_ about you, honey." Talia told him, giving him a caring look.

"You've been worried about me?" He repeated in surprise. He'd had no idea they were worried about him, and had no clue as to why they would be.

"Of course. Ever since Paige... you _changed_. You cut yourself off from love, from even the _possibility_ of love. Seeing you trying with Stiles, seeing you putting yourself back out there makes me feel like there's hope for you to move on." She explained and everyone else nodded along, their faces no longer teasing but solemn and caring. 

Derek stared at her in shock. He'd had no clue that they'd all been worried about him. He hated that he was going to worry them again when they found out he wasn't trying with Stiles. He _wasn't_ putting himself back out there and it would break his family's heart to realize that.

Unless he just didn't tell them the truth.

"Well, you know." He said with a shrug of one shoulder, trying to look unaffected. "Just, could you all back off a little? Please? Give us some space to work things out?" He asked. A huge smile spread over his mother's face and Laura squealed again, much like the squeal she'd let out when she'd gotten him into this mess. Even Peter was nodding his head and looking proud or something. That last one was just sad because if there was anyone who was more fucked up than him, it was Peter.

"Of course, sweetie." Talia assured him, turning back to her meal and cutting into her meat. Derek nodded and looked at his own plate. "Make sure you invite Stiles to join us for family dinner on Friday though." She added, and oh yes, that was an order right there. Derek paled slightly but nodded, drowning out all conversation again and focusing on getting through his meal. 

Now he had to figure out what he was going to say to Stiles to get him to play along with this charade. 

One thing was for certain, Stiles would never let him forget it.

After Derek left his parents house he found himself standing out the front of Stiles' door. 

Much like when he'd been standing outside of his parent's house, he'd been standing there for a while but hadn't worked up the nerve to actually knock. He still had no idea how he was going to bring up the situation to Stiles, let alone actually getting him to pretend to date him. He had absolutely no idea what he'd do if he turned him down. 

Derek was a realist, he was pretty sure Stiles _would_ turn him down, because who in their right mind agreed to fake date someone?

Surely not even _Stiles_ was crazy enough to agree to that, but he had to try.

The door opened in front of him and Derek made an abortive move to hide. It would be ridiculous to try to hide, seeing as though he was in the middle of an empty hallway and the only other thing in it was an old dying pot plant next to one of Stiles' neighbors doors, but instincts were instincts. Stiles didn't look at all surprised to see him and simply smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe.

"So, are you just going to stare at my door all night or are you here for another reason?" He asked, that annoying little shit smirk still spread over his lips. Derek ground his teeth together, trying to remember that he needed Stiles alive for this, that he was doing this so his family wouldn't worry about him anymore.

"Can I come in?" He spat out. 

He knew he was right, Stiles would hold this over his head forever.

"Hmm, let me think about that for a second." He said, humming thoughtfully and gazing off into the space over Derek's shoulder. "No. If you're going to be a jerk to me you can just ask what you need to ask out here." He told him, arching an eyebrow challengingly. Derek sighed and looked heavenwards for help. He knew he wasn't dealing with this correctly and if he wanted Stiles to help him he definitely had to stop acting like a jerk to him. Jerkiness just seemed to be his default mode around Stiles. He had a theory it was so he'd distract himself from how attracted to him he was. 

If he admitted to being attracted to him, that is.

"Stiles, _please_." He begged, giving him the closest thing to puppy dog eyes he could. Without wolfing out, of course.

Stiles sighed but nodded, stepping aside to let him enter. Derek took the opportunity to have a look around the apartment. He'd never actually been inside Stiles' apartment before and he really shouldn't even know where he lived, but he may have followed Stiles home one time, under the Sheriff's orders to make sure he got home safely of course, and it's location had gotten seared into his brain. Obviously he hadn't _meant_ for it's location to become seared into his brain, but it had happened. 

The place looked like what he imagined the inside of Stiles' mind to look like, a little cluttered but still somehow organized and homey. There were a lot of pictures around, ones with Stiles and his dad, Stiles and his best friend Scott, a young Stiles and the woman that Derek knew to be his mother, Stiles his dad and his mom all together before she'd died, Stiles and Melissa McCall, Stiles and both of the McCall's. It was clear that he was loved. 

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Stiles asked, snapping his attention off of the lizard in a tank that lived in the corner of the room. He waved towards the couch, sitting down on it himself, but Derek moved to sit in the armchair instead. He needed a little distance between them. Stiles rolled his eyes at him sitting not sitting next to him but gave him his full attention.

"I need a favor." He told him, making Stiles stare at him in surprise. Derek fidgeted, knowing he knew what he was going to ask. "I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend." He rushed out, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. Stiles stared at him for a moment while the words processed and then started laughing. Derek glared at him, not finding anything about the situation amusing. 

"So you _couldn't_ handle it yourself, could you?" He asked, amusement coloring his tone. Derek groaned.

"It's just... they were so _happy_." He said, his face screwing up in confusion. Stiles' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "I tried to set them straight but they wouldn't let me. They said that they'd been worried about me because I haven't dated since... Paige. I couldn't put them through that again." He told him. 

Everyone knew about the epic way his relationship with Paige had exploded, it had been prime gossip material for the town. Of course, none of them had known the real, supernatural reason behind the breakup, but they'd all seen how she'd pretty much fled town and the aftermath it had caused with Derek. 

His time of moping miserably around town was something he'd rather everyone forget. 

If only everyone would get the memo.

Stiles shuttered his usually expressive face and looked away. "Oh. So it wasn't that they were happy it was _me_ , they're just happy it's _someone_." He said softly, the hurt clear in his tone. Derek frowned and shook his head, getting up and moving to sit on the couch with him, not directly next to him but closer than he'd been before.

"No, it was _both_. They're over the fucking _moon_ that we're dating, that it's you." He said, giving him a confused look. He still didn't know why his family were so happy about him supposedly being in a relationship with Stiles in particular but it was the truth. 

A small grin spread over Stiles' face before he firmly tamped it down. "How long would we need to play up this charade?" He asked and Derek stared at him in shock. 

He'd been expecting a battle, he'd thought he'd need to talk him into it. Any sane person would need to be talked into something as crazy as this. But yet again, Stiles was just full of surprises.

"Um, until after the wedding, at least." He said, still in shock. The wedding was still three months away and that was a long time. He knew Stiles still might just laugh at him and show him the door. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even know if that would be long enough to stop his family from worrying about him so they could 'break up'. It could be longer than three months but he didn't want to think about that yet.

Stiles nodded, reaching up to scratch at his chin thoughtfully. "And I suppose they'd expect us to go on dates and things, right?" He asked and Derek nodded. "I mean, my dad's on my back about having a life instead of focusing on work so much so this could work for me too." He told him.

"So, you'll do it?" Derek asked, shock coloring his tone. Stiles nodded, giving him a magnanimous nod.

"I'll do it." He agreed. Derek sighed in relief, glad he could at least _pretend_ to be normal and happy. Even if he wasn't really either of those things and couldn't really ever see himself being either of those things in the future either.

"Thank you, Stiles. I'll pay you back somehow, I promise." He assured him, standing up and giving him a small smile. Stiles nodded, standing as well and walking him to the door.

"I'm willing to accept sexual favors as payment, just putting that out there." He said, making Derek freeze and stare at him with wide eyes. 

He had a flash of pale, mole dotted skin laid out bare before him, his to map out with his hands and tongue. A flash of Stiles bent over the couch in front of him, waiting for him to enter him. A flash of Stiles spread out on top of him, a look of concentration on his face as he thrust into him and stroked him off at the same time. 

He couldn't move for a moment, frozen and lost in the images that were now flooding his brain. 

"Whoa, I was kidding. _Kidding_ , Derek. Didn't mean to break you. I promise I won't make you do sexy things with me." Stiles said, his hands spread out in front of him with wide eyes. 

Derek realized he thought he'd disgusted him with the thought of anything sexual happening between them. That was the furthest thing from the truth.

Oh so far from the truth.

"I _know that_." He snapped, trying to slip back into his usual attitude with Stiles to stop the flood of images from assaulting him. Stiles nodded but still didn't look convinced. That might have been because Derek's body was pulled in a taut line and he was grinding his teeth, but that was because he was desperately trying to stop himself from popping a boner, not because he was disgusted. "Give me your number. So we can coordinate." He ordered, holding his phone out to him. Stiles nodded and handed his own phone over as well so he could put his number in. When Derek got his phone back he rolled his eyes at the fact that Stiles had saved his number under the name 'Sexy Stiles'. 

"You could, um, stay? It could be one of our dates? We could... get our stories straight?" Stiles asked, biting his lip and looking nervous. 

As much as Derek really wouldn't mind staying he was afraid that if he _did_ stay he'd end up doing something stupid. Like laying Stiles out on the nearest flat surface and doing dirty, dirty things to him.

"No, I should go." He told him, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the door. Stiles nodded and if Derek thought he looked disappointed that was clearly all in his head. "Thank you for this. Really." He said once he was safely outside of the apartment, the open door between them feeling like a physical barrier now. Stiles grinned and waved him off.

"Pssh, it's nothing. Like I said, this helps me too." He told him. "Plus, a chance to embarrass you a little is definitely something I'm all about." He added with a shit eating grin. Derek rolled his eyes at him but he knew he was telling the truth. Stiles would _definitely_ take this opportunity to mess with him in all kinds of ways, secure in the knowledge that Derek couldn't really do anything about it without giving them away.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. You're expected to come with me to Friday family dinner this week. So enjoy." He said before rushing to the door. He could hear Stiles sputtering behind him and couldn't help but smirk.

"With your _whole family_?" The younger man called out after him, his voice sounding strangled.

"The whole family." Derek confirmed, laughing when Stiles groaned.

He didn't blame him, his family was a handful. Which was an extremely nice way to say they were batshit crazy. 

Stiles deserved everything he got from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](http://kimmi-watch.tumblr.com/). Come say hi and feel free to follow me.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles have dinner with Derek's family. Oh the humiliation!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this up sooner, but I started back at work this week after weeks of being off with an injury and my hours have changed because I'm on light duties. Add that in to me barely having any time to myself and I haven't had much time to get this up. I already have a few more parts already written for this but I'm hoping that I get more time to myself next week to actually write more so I can stay ahead of what I'm posting.
> 
> Thanks again for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks. You guys are awesome!

Friday came before Derek was ready for it. And with it came the realization that he was absolutely, positively screwed. 

His family were fucking _werewolves_ , how the hell was he supposed to make them think he was dating someone when he really wasn't? Not only would they be able to _hear_ if they were lying, but it would be pretty obvious they weren't spending time together due to the lack of each other's scents on each other. He suspected he'd only gotten away with it before because they'd chalked his heartbeat up to nervousness and the lack of scent as him trying to hide their relationship, but that wouldn't work now that they were supposedly out of the relationship closet. So he found himself doing something he never would have done any other time. He broke into Stiles' apartment during his lunch break while the man was busy at work.

He headed straight into Stiles' bedroom, taking a moment just to stare around now that he didn't have Stiles standing right in front of him and he was somewhere he'd only imagined before. 

The bed was unmade and he had an outfit laid out on the end of the bed, obviously for dinner that night. Derek tried his hardest not to find that cute but he wasn‘t very successful. The computer was on, showing a Google search for how to convince someone's family you're dating and Derek snorted at that. He made a move towards the bed, having already decided to roll around in it for a while to try to get Stiles’ scent on him, but froze just before he could move to sit on it. 

The scent in the bed hit him like a bolt out of the blue and oh god, why? 

Stiles had jerked off in bed that morning and now it was all he could smell. 

The other man hadn't even bothered changing his sheets afterwards. Though really, why would he feel any rush to do that? It’s not like he’d have any indication that Derek was going to break into his apartment. And even if he had, he wouldn’t have thought Derek would be able to smell what he’d done.

He groaned and sunk down onto the bed, squeezing his eyes shut to try to block it out. It definitely didn't work and the only thing squeezing his eyes shut achieved was to provide him with mental images of Stiles lying in bed, completely naked and working himself to release. 

He wondered if he was a moaner, he looked like he'd be a moaner. He'd probably be really into dirty talk too. The thought that maybe he'd been thinking of Derek himself popped into his head and he groaned, sinking down to lay in the bed, trying to force that thought from his head. That way lay madness.

He knew this was wrong, he shouldn't even be _in_ Stiles' apartment let alone on his bed, but it was something he had to do. For the good of their story. 

The lingering scent of Stiles' release was hypnotizing him and his wolf was aching to let him touch himself, to let his seed join the other man's, to know what the two scents smelt like entwined. But no, he couldn't do that. That would be crossing a line that he was not willing to cross.

Instead he tried to force himself to block out the scent as he started wriggling a little on the bed, getting his scent onto the mattress and letting Stiles' scent seep onto him. His family would smell the scent of sex on him, there was no way they wouldn't even if he took multiple showers, and think that they'd had sex before coming over. That might work in his favor but would be completely embarrassing. Especially seeing as though Stiles would have no idea what the smug smirks certain members of his family would be giving them were about. 

His wolf was fighting the battle to mark Stiles' bed as his territory but it was a battle it would not win.

When he was sure he was suitably drenched in Stiles' scent he practically jumped off the bed. He had to get up while he still could, while he still had more control than his wolf did.

He straightened out his own clothes and let his eyes fall to Stiles' outfit, now slightly askew from his wriggling but otherwise unharmed. Stiles needed his scent on him as well, seeing as though Derek was practically bathed in Stiles' scent now, so he reached down and ran his hands over the clothes, letting his scent transfer, and then got the fuck out of dodge.

Derek couldn't look Stiles in the eye when he went to pick him up later. It was made worse by the fact that he could smell that Stiles had been at it again, probably laying in the exact same spot Derek had been earlier. It was times like now that Derek cursed his enhanced senses because a normal human wouldn't be able to smell the lingering scent, but he could and it was pure torture.

If there was one thing that was certain, it was that Derek smelt sufficiently like Stiles and Stiles definitely smelt like Derek. He could smell his scent lingering on his clothes from when he'd rolled around on them but it was barely even noticeable, only noticeable to him because he was looking for it. No, most of the scent came from Stiles' skin, obviously transferred from the bed when he'd been laying on it. 

Completely naked. 

While he touched himself. 

Shit, his family were definitely going to think they'd had sex now. Or at least that he'd gotten Stiles off, what with the scent of his release clinging to both of them but no trace of Derek's. 

That would not do. If they were in a real relationship they wouldn't buy that Derek's wolf would not want Stiles as drenched in his scent as he was in his. There was only one thing he could do. 

With a sigh he shrugged out of his leather jacket and held it out to Stiles, receiving a confused look in return. 

"My family won't believe we're together unless you're wearing this." He told him. He couldn't very well explain the whole scent thing to him, what with the whole breaking and entering thing as well as the werewolf of it all, so this would have to do. Stiles looked doubtful but still nodded and took the jacket from him, shrugging it on. Derek swallowed heavily once he saw how it actually looked on him. Derek was so much more broader in the chest than Stiles was so the jacket was swimming on him around the chest, but he looked so, so good. 

"How do I look?" Stiles asked, striking an absolutely ridiculous 'model' pose. Derek forced himself to roll his eyes like he usually would when Stiles did things like that and turned away, storming down the stairs ahead of him so he had to follow behind. He didn't want Stiles to see how good he thought he looked in his jacket, to see how much he was thinking about how he'd look dressed in more of his clothes. This was all fake and he couldn’t have Stiles learning about his real feelings for him.

He also couldn't actually _answer_ the question. Just in case he told him the truth and ruined everything.

The drive to the Hale house was tense. Derek was worried about how this was all going to go down and Stiles was talking way too much to cover his obvious nervousness. As they got closer to the house, Derek suddenly had a thought that startled him so much that he swerved over to the side of the road and parked. Stiles yelped in surprise at the sudden motion and clutched the dashboard for dear life, turning to him with wide eyes.

"What the fuck was that?" He yelled at him, bringing a hand up to calm his racing heart. "Did you see a bunny rabbit on the road or something?" He asked, looking in the side mirror for any stray animals that could have caused Derek to react like that.

"Look, my family?" He asked, hearing the panic in his own tone but unable to help it. He was really fucking panicked. "They like to embarrass me. So they're probably going to say things to you that cross the line of decency. They'll also flat out lie, say things about me and you and my so called feelings for you. Absolutely nothing they say will be true, okay? I need you to remember that." He told him, clenching his fingers on the steering wheel. 

He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner. His family kept teasing him about his feelings for Stiles and saying that it was about time they were together seeing as though they believed he'd been in love with him for years. _Of course_ they were going to say something to him about it. He really didn't want Stiles to think that what they were saying was true, he really didn’t want Stiles to think that he was that pathetic. Yes, he might have feelings for Stiles, but Stiles didn’t need to know that and he especially didn’t need to know how long he’d had those feelings for him. 

Or, you know, how long his family thought he’d had those feelings for him. Because he wasn’t that pathetic that he’d had feelings for him for that long.

And he was sticking to that story.

"Well now I'm curious. Onwards!" Stiles said with a grin. Derek groaned in dismay. This was all completely his own fault because he hadn't corrected the misconception, but he still couldn't believe it was happening to him. Stiles made a hurry up gesture so he reluctantly started the car up again and pulled back onto the road to his doom.

Laura and Peter were standing out on the porch when they arrived. They were not so subtly staring at the car as it approached with grins on their faces but turned to each other and pretended to have a conversation the closer they got. Derek chose to focus on the sound of the engine and of his and Stiles' pounding hearts instead of listening to what they were saying, knowing they would be saying embarrassing things to him and he just wasn't ready for that yet. He was all about delaying his inevitable doom. 

He parked the car and the two of them sat there for a moment, his fingers white knuckled on the steering wheel. 

"Here goes nothing." Stiles said, opening the car door and climbing out. Derek wanted to reach over and grab his arm, pull him back in the car and drive off as fast as he could, but the damage was done now. This had been his decision and now he had to live with it.

By the time he managed to pry himself out of the car, Stiles was already talking with Laura and Peter. Derek's eyes widened and he hurried to catch up, hearing Laura gushing about the fact that Stiles was going to be at her wedding.

"I was _already_ going to be at the wedding." Stiles pointed out. "Now I just get the perks of being on a date with this stud too." He added with a wink, throwing his arm over Derek's shoulders and pulling him in tight against him. Laura cooed at them, clutching her hand to her heart.

"I'm so glad he finally did something about his feelings for you." She told him. Derek bit the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning while Stiles raised his eyebrows pointedly. Derek could hear Stiles' heartbeat pick up but was thankful it could be passed off as excitement instead of anything else.

" _Finally_ , huh?" He asked, smirking at Derek. "And just how _long_ has Derek had feelings for me without acting on them?" His smirk started verging into little shit territory so Derek slid his arm around his waist and pinched him. He had to give him credit though, he only jolted a little bit but gave no other outward sign of discomfort.

"Longer than he will ever admit to anyone." Laura said, winking at them both. Stiles rose his eyebrows while Derek simply sighed in relief, thankful that she hadn't started spouting off about him being in love with Stiles when the guy had been in high school.

"So, Stiles, how's your father?" Peter asked and from anyone else it would have been a simple question but from Peter it was full of flirtation. Stiles chuckled but narrowed his eyes at him.

"Good, good. Still dating Ms. McCall." He said, the warning clear in his voice. Peter was not one to be deterred though.

"Hmm, yes, I wonder if they'd be interested in a little... get together. The two of them and me." He said, his grin verging on predatory. Peter had gone on a date or two with Ms. McCall when she’d started getting back into the dating scene after her divorce. Ever since she’d started dating Sheriff Stilinski he’d been making comments about the three of them together. No one knew if he was just doing it to be creepy, as a joke, or if he really meant it and no one wanted to know either. Stiles mimed throwing up in his mouth while Derek growled at his uncle.

"Stop it." He ordered through clenched teeth, knowing he was only doing it today to be a shit. Peter smirked and turned on his heel, leaving them be for the moment. Stiles calmed down once Peter was gone, his body relaxing and sinking into Derek's where he still had his arm wrapped around him. 

Derek tried to make himself think of something other than the fact that he could feel the heat of Stiles' body against his. Stiles and Laura were talking about something but Derek couldn't seem to make himself focus on what it was. That was a mistake. He knew he should be monitoring their conversation closely, but he was just too distracted by Stiles' everything.

"I have pictures if you don't believe me." Laura said after a few minutes, a smirk thrown Derek's way, and that definitely caught his attention. 

Pictures? Pictures could not be good, whatever she was talking about.

"Oh this I have to see." Stiles said, a huge grin on his face as he untangled himself from Derek's hold. Derek stared after them as they walked into the living room, chattering and giggling amongst themselves, Laura leading the way. Derek was stuck in his place, wondering exactly what pictures his sister could be showing him. There were plenty of pictures in the Hale house that could scar and embarrass him and make Stiles never look at him the same way again. 

There was only one thing to do. His sister had to be stopped.

He managed to get his legs working again and rushed over to them, seeing Laura sitting down awfully close to Stiles with one of the many family photo albums in her lap. Stiles had a Cheshire grin on his face, looking like he was just barely holding himself back from rubbing his hands together gleefully. Laura opened the album but Derek was quick to slam it shut again, giving her a glare.

"What pictures are you talking about?" He growled out, flashing his eyes at her quickly, making sure his head was angled away from Stiles so he wouldn't see. Laura rolled her eyes at his dramatics, pushing his hand off the album and opening it regardless of his attempts to stop her. She was stronger than him as next in line to be Alpha anyway, a fact she liked to gloat about, so there really wasn’t much he could do about it.

"I was telling Stiles about your not so short period of streaking." She told him, flicking the pages quickly and grinning in triumph when she reached the pages she was after.

Derek groaned in embarrassment, watching the way Stiles' eyes devoured the pictures in a way that meant he would not be forgetting this any time soon. 

Laid out in a feast for his eyes, prime embarrassing blackmail material, were pictures from when Derek was three years old and had decided he didn't like clothes. At the time he'd complained that they itched and he'd fancied himself a real wolf instead of a just werewolf, and real wolves didn't wear clothes so why should he? It was three year old reasoning at it's finest.

"Oh my god, look at his little butt!" Stiles cooed, pointing at a completely embarrassing picture of Derek running out of frame, his entire body muddy except for his butt somehow. Derek still didn't know how he'd achieved that and no one else could explain it either. Even Lydia, and she'd tried to solve it with math. Derek groaned, reaching his hand up to rub at his temples. A headache was forming and that headache was named Laura. 

Not surprisingly, it was a headache he experienced a lot.

"He did have a cute little butt." Laura agreed, turning the page. Her hands slammed down on the page quickly, covering something, and Derek felt a glimmer of hope that there was an embarrassing picture of her in there too which would mean that this travesty would be over. 

No such luck.

"I feel like I should protect Derek's modesty here but, I mean, you two are probably going at it like bunnies so lets be real, you've seen it already." She mused, taking her hands off the picture and yep, that was a picture of Derek making a mad dash _into_ the frame of the picture, everything free and flowing and easily seen, though muddy. Derek made a grab for the album but Laura already knew what he was going to do and simply smacked the back of his hand in reprimand. 

"Aw, it's Derek's little thing." Stiles cooed again, a snicker right on the edge of his tone. Derek gave him a death glare, snatching the album out of his sister’s hands and slamming it shut.

"Stop looking at my thing." He growled and Stiles smirked at him.

"Don’t be like that, baby. That's not what you were saying last night." He teased, giving him a ridiculously over the top flirtatious look that absolutely should not be attractive. 

So why was it _so damned attractive_?

"I honestly don't know whether to go puke in the bushes or high five you right now, little brother." Laura told him, making Derek roll his eyes. 

"My suggestion would be to run." He threatened, glaring at her in the way that reduced criminals (or, you know, people speeding or jaywalking and stuff mostly) to stuttering morons. Laura simply laughed, in no way intimidated by her little brother. And why should she be? She'd seen him practicing that glare in the mirror when he was in his early teens, trying to perfect it, so it only resulted in her remembering that and laughing like a fool every time. 

"Look at Ickle Derekins trying to look scary." She clucked over him, pinching his cheek and then smoothing out his brows with her fingers. 

"Yeah, um sorry to say it, but that look has lost all it's power now that I've seen three year old Derek's streaking phase. With your cute little butt and totally not menacing at all growls to the camera." Stiles said with a grin. Derek turned his glare on him. For a moment Stiles just stared at him, swallowing heavily. Then his arousal started leaking from every pore and Derek's momentary smug satisfaction that he still had it after all came grinding to a halt. "Okay, maybe not _all_ it's power..." Stiles muttered, more to himself than anyone else in the room.

"Oh my God, I'd say to get a room but you probably would and then I'd be forced to listen to you two going at it like monkey's in heat." Laura said with a shudder, kicking her brother's shin to get him to stop looking like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"Laura, leave the poor boys alone." Lydia's voice came from behind them, coming to join her fiancée on the couch. Laura grinned dopily at her soon to be bride, leaning in for a kiss, and Derek mimed throwing up into his hands. Laura flipped him off over the top of Lydia's head, pulling her closer with her other hand.

"It's like my 17 year old fantasies come to life." Stiles muttered to himself, literally caught in between the two women and staring at them with wide eyes. "The only way it could get any more accurate would be if you then invited me to join in." He added, almost as though he wasn't aware of the words he was saying. Derek growled, not liking the thought of his sister having Stiles that way, and tugged the two women apart, barely refraining himself from tugging Stiles up and into his arms to keep him away from them.

"Oh honey, that's not going to happen. You’re new but you’ll soon learn, Hale's aren't that great with sharing." Lydia told him, patting him on the shoulder and connecting eyes with Derek in a way that made him feel exposed, a smirk on her lips. "And I thought you were over your adorable little crush on me." She added, tearing her eyes off her soon to be brother in law and back onto Stiles. 

"Can anyone _ever_ get completely over a strawberry blonde goddess?" Stiles mused overdramatically, flinging his hands up to rest over his heart and fluttering his eyes ridiculously. Derek really felt like he needed to have a word with his brain because it was sending him signals that those actions were adorable and they just weren't. 

They weren't, okay?

Lydia rolled her eyes but grinned at him. She reached forward to ruffle his hair, making him whine like he was the child she used to babysit. And _that_ shouldn't be adorable either.

"Don't go sniffing around my woman, Stilinski. She wasn't kidding when she said Hale's aren't great with sharing." Laura told him, practically climbing over his lap to get on the other side of Lydia and pulling her into her arms, much like Derek had wanted to do with Stiles, as though Lydia needed protecting. Lydia had proven long ago that she didn't need protecting from anything. Derek rolled his eyes because there was no way anything could come between the power couple that was Laura and Lydia.

The two had met in high school. Lydia was the popular girl who played up stereotypes to hide just how smart and talented she was and Laura was the outcast that people thought of as a weirdo simply because she was different. (And by different he obviously meant a werewolf but none of the kids at school had figured that out.) 

Then Lydia had come into her banshee powers. 

She'd had no one to turn to, hadn't known what was happening to her, but Deaton, the Beacon Hills emissary, had figured it out. He'd speculated that having her spend time with other supernatural people might help so had introduced her to the Hale's. Lydia, being smart as a whip and observant, had been ecstatic to learn that the weird occurrences she'd noticed happening around Laura was actually something amazing. The two had become friends and then more and had been inseparable ever since.

Their love was one for the ages. When Laura had announced that she was thinking of asking Lydia to be her mate, the family had been over the moon, no pun intended. Lydia was already considered family and bringing someone as amazing as her into the family officially was something they were all looking forward to. 

Of course, Lydia had beaten her to the punch in the actual asking, but that was just semantics.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Stiles assured them, sending a little look Derek's way. "Besides, I've got an eye on a Hale of my own." He added, a blush staining his cheeks. Derek stared at him, his mouth dropped open unattractively. Stiles was good. He couldn't even detect a lie and the whole act just felt like the truth. Of course that couldn't be possible. Stiles may be attracted to Derek _physically_ , it was pretty hard to miss that fact, but Derek just knew that there was no way he could ever want anything more with him.

And that wasn't even counting the inevitable fallout that would occur should he ever find out about his hairy little secret.

"I hope you're not traumatizing your poor brother in here, Laura." Derek's mother said as she walked into the room, giving them all a calm smile. Derek grinned at his mother, thankful that she was being the voice of reason and that she was taking his attention away from Stiles' words. "Because that's _my_ job." She added, her smile turning into a cheeky grin. Derek groaned, shaking his head.

"The baby pictures were already brought out, there's no need to do it yourself." He told her, trying to head her off at the pass. Talia rose her eyebrows, looking at the book still in Derek's arms. 

"Derek's streaking phase?" She questioned, knowing it was Laura’s go to story for embarrassing Derek, and they all nodded, Stiles snickering into his hand. Derek glared at him but only got a smug grin in return. "Oh, there are _much_ better things to show than that." She told them, heading back over to the old walnut colored bureau they kept the family photo albums in and selecting one. She brought it back over to the couch, moving to sit next to Stiles, Laura and Lydia moving over to make way for their Alpha automatically.

Unlike the photo album Laura had chosen, this one was just Derek. It had started as a baby book but his mother had just kept adding pages and more pictures. Derek knew that there were pictures in there as recent last Christmas because his mother was a crazy person who didn't realize that a baby book should just contain pictures of someone as a _baby_.

"This was Derek on the day he was born." She told Stiles, tilting the book in Stiles' direction. Derek noticed that she kept her palm flat over the picture that followed the one she was showing Stiles, one of Derek's first shift. It was normal for newborn werewolves to shift completely when they were first born. The shift didn't last long but it was a matter of pride how soon after they were born that they shifted. Derek had been fifteen minutes old when he had his first shift, beating out both Laura and Cora who had twenty minutes and half an hour respectively. It was something he was proud of, no matter that his mother always said that it happened sooner for boys than for girls, which always led to premature ejaculation jokes if Laura was around. The average was an hour so the girls were ahead of the curve anyway.

Derek watched, feeling embarrassed and hopeless, as his mother guided Stiles through his life history with pictures. Laura and Lydia were perched on Stiles' other side, cooing over the pictures as well even though Laura had been there for pretty much all of the moments in the photo album anyway and they'd both already seen all of the pictures before. Soon enough, pretty much the whole family was gathered around the couch, looking at the pictures.

"Quick, it's Derek's awkward period, move forward before Stiles realizes the mistake he's made." His dad, Andrew, said as Talia turned the page to a picture of thirteen year old Derek, smack bang in the middle of his terrible awkward period. Derek glared at his father's jokes but he really did agree. He didn't want anyone, especially Stiles, to see those pictures of him. 

"Look at his ears." Derek's adopted brother Isaac mocked, tears of laughter in his eyes. Derek rolled his eyes and got him in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles into his head and ignoring Isaac's cries for mercy. The little shit deserved everything he got.

"I think he was cute." Stiles mumbled, one of his fingers tracing over one of Derek's gigantic ears in the school picture he was looking at and then moving to do the same to Derek's little bunny teeth. He had a small fond smile on his face, seemingly in his own world,. Derek's arms slackened as he watched Stiles, giving Isaac the opportunity to escape his hold. He reached up to straighten his curls, kneeing Derek in the back, but Derek was stuck on the way Stiles was gazing fondly down at what was probably one of the most embarrassing pictures of Derek that there was.

"I always knew there was something wrong with you, Stilinski." Cora's boyfriend Jackson said with a sniff and mocking expression, snapping Stiles out of whatever he'd just been caught up in. A blush spread it's way over his cheeks in splotchy patches and down his neck. 

Derek wanted to see just how far down that blush went. 

Maybe with his tongue.

He realized quite suddenly that everybody in the room, bar Stiles, was smirking at him. He cursed himself for getting caught up in thoughts like that in a room full of werewolves who could smell is sudden spike of interest. He cleared his throat and plucked the photo album off of his mother and Stiles' laps, slamming it shut with a loud smack and shoving it under his arm. "So, we should be getting started on dinner, right?" He asked, clearing his throat and hoping his family would actually do what he wanted for a change. 

"Good idea." Talia declared, giving him a smile and standing up, cupping his cheek for a moment and winking at him. She turned to Stiles, giving him an even bigger smile. "It's family dinner night, Stiles, and in this house that means that everyone has to help in some way or another. You have to earn your meal in the Hale house on family dinner night." She explained and Stiles nodded, getting up and bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly, looking like he was trying to shake something off. 

"That's perfectly fine with me. Let me know what I need to do." He told her, giving her a charming little smile. Derek's breath caught in his throat because Stiles was really good at this whole thing. Both the getting along with his family thing and the faking being romantically interested in Stiles thing. Talia gave Derek a pleased smile before walking forward and looping her arm with Stiles'.

"If you could help me in the kitchen, that would be appreciated." She told him, leading him that way. "Everyone else, you know your roles." She called over her shoulder. The family jumped into action, going about their usual routine. 

Derek's family gave him smug and pleased looks. He could feel how happy they were, thinking that he finally had someone and was happy. There was a feeling of guilt settling in his stomach, knowing they'd all be upset when he and Stiles 'ended' things. He really hoped that they didn't get angry with Stiles because even before this, he'd been a part of their lives, on the periphery. He was always there. Whether it be in Laura's healthy cooking class on Wednesday nights, or being one of the members of his dad's poker games along with the sheriff. He'd been in the same grade as Isaac, Cora and Jackson and had been babysat by Lydia. He spent time volunteering in the hospital with Nana Hale and traded barbs in the coffee shop with Peter every morning at eight o'clock. 

If they didn't play this right, they'd all feel some kind of loyalty to cut him out of their lives. He couldn't have that hanging over his head. None of them deserved that. It wasn't their fault he was a fucked up idiot with a fear of relationships.

He gave them all a tight smile and headed into the kitchen to start grabbing the things he'd need to set the table, his task for the week. Stiles and his mother were already in the middle of getting dinner started, checking the marinade on the steaks and chatting. His mother looked over at Derek as he entered, giving him a thumbs up while Stiles was distracted, but Derek simply kept his head down and pretended he hadn't seen the gesture of support. 

He had no idea why he'd done this. It was a terrible and stupid idea.

When dinner was ready, everyone rushed into the dining room to eat. Stiles had the seat right next to Derek and to make it look like it was real, Derek darted in and gave him a quick kiss when he went to take his seat once everything was on the table. Stiles froze for a moment and then flushed, sitting down hurriedly and keeping his head down, as though that would hide the smile spreading over his face. 

No chance, everyone had seen it. 

Derek could feel more than one pair of eyes on them and could feel the happiness in the room. 

He didn't know whether to feel pleased that his plan was working or guilty because it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so you know how I had Derek not letting his wolf get what it wants in the bit where he breaks into Stiles' apartment? Well that was a rewrite, the original part had Derek giving in to his urges and was kind of smutty but I thought it was too early for that to be happening, plus I felt weird about having Derek jerking it Stiles' bed without him knowing about it. If people wanted maybe I could put up the smutty part of that version up as an outtake? Let me know.
> 
> As always, here's my [Tumblr](http://kimmi-watch.tumblr.com/) if you're interested :)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner with Derek's family and things get a little steamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry that this part is late. It was mini nephew's 1st birthday on Friday and then Saturday was his massive party and then I was swamped trying to make sure nephew no.1 didn't feel neglected after all the attention his brother got over the weekend. But here it is, the next part! Enjoy.
> 
> Also, another character has appeared and I've played with their age. :)

Derek was tense all the way back to Stiles' place to drop him off after the dinner with his family. 

To say that his deceit had been a rousing success would be a complete understatement. His family had believed his lie hook, line and sinker. Either they hadn't been using their extra senses to dig out the lie because they didn't _want_ to or just because it hadn’t occurred to them that he'd do something so dumb as get someone to pretend to be his boyfriend, he wasn't sure which. All he knew was that no one seemed to have realized that it was a lie. 

A big, fat, terrible lie.

Stiles was yammering on next to him, which common practice for him really. He was gushing about how much fun he'd had and what a great family Derek had. Derek gave him a tight smile. He _did_ have a great family (when they weren’t being completely embarrassing and terrible) and how was he repaying them? By _lying_ to them. 

He was a terrible son, grandson, brother, nephew, _person_. 

"Okay, you're even quieter than normal, and you're even more scowly too, which I didn't think was possible, honestly. What's up? It went well. I mean, I _think_ it went well. I don't think anyone caught on, at least." Stiles said when Derek pulled up outside of Stiles' apartment building. Derek shut off the engine and sighed, leaning down to thunk his head against the steering wheel.

"It _did_ go well." He agreed, his words muffled slightly by the wheel. " _That's_ the problem." He added. He could practically see Stiles' confused and gob smacked look even though his face was currently pressed against the steering wheel so couldn‘t see him. He blamed it on all his time spent Stiles watching, he just knew his reactions.

"That's... the _problem_?" Stiles questioned, drawing the words out slowly and sounding as though he thought Derek was insane. He wouldn’t feel bad if Stiles thought he was crazy, everything about this was crazy so it had to be at least a little bit true. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but _you're_ the one who came up with this idea. Now you're worried because it's _working_?" He asked, huffing a little in confused annoyance. Derek sighed and lifted his head to look at him, seeing the way his confusion had twisted up his face. He was sidetracked for a moment watching Stiles' expressive face before shaking his head.

"I'm a terrible person. Why couldn't I have just told them the truth? Why did I have to make up this ridiculous lie? So I'm single, who cares? So my mom worries about me and thinks I'm unhappy and lonely and depressed and..." He trailed off, closing his eyes in resignation. 

Oh, right. 

_That_ was why he'd come up with the ridiculous lie.

"You are sending _so_ many mixed messages right now, buddy." Stiles told him, reaching a tentative hand out to rest on Derek's shoulder. "Which is actually the norm for you so, you know." Derek groaned and slammed his head against the steering wheel again.

"Could you make them love you _less_ , at least?" He begged, his words muffled yet again by the steering wheel. "We have to fake _break up_ you know, and you're not making it easy." He explained, lifting his head once more to give him a pleading look, letting him see that he meant it. 

It was true on more than one level too. Yes, having his family love Stiles that much would make things terrible for all of them in the long run, that was true. But it was also giving him a taste of something he would never have with Stiles and that hurt.

He'd come to terms with the fact that Laura was right. He _did_ have a crush on Stiles, and had for longer than anything that wouldn't make him look pathetic. But he knew he couldn't have him. 

Sure, Stiles thought he was attractive, but he had no idea about the kind of world Derek lived in. He didn't know that the so called made up things that went bump in the night were real and that Derek and his family was one type of them. 

Derek had experienced the way a human in a relationship with a supernatural creature handled learning about the supernatural and it wasn't good. It left him alone and lonely and resigned to never letting himself have that type of relationship in his life ever again. He couldn't stand to have Stiles run screaming out of his life like Paige had. He really couldn't stand to have Stiles torn out of everyone else's lives too simply because he wouldn’t be able to deal with the fact that they had fangs and claws and fur and sometimes turned into wolves. 

He'd gone through that with Paige, he wasn't going through it again.

"Tone down the old Stilinski charm a little, got it." Stiles agreed, giving him a wink and a thumbs up. Derek rolled his eyes but nodded. "So, you need this back?" Stiles asked, fingering the zipper on Derek's leather jacket. 

Derek's eyes dropped down to his jacket and he shook his head. He knew that if he took that jacket back he'd let his instincts and hormones take over because it was _drenched_ in Stiles' scent by now after he‘d been wearing it all night. It would be better if Stiles kept it. Plus that way he wouldn't have to resort to breaking into Stiles' apartment and rolling around again to get his scent onto him. His scent was well engraved into the jacket and would do just fine. 

Plus he hadn't been completely lying when he'd said that his family would expect to see him in the jacket. Everyone in town knew that it was his jacket, it was the equivalent of lifting his leg and peeing on him. 

Not that he’d ever do that. 

In human form, at least. 

"Keep it. For realism." His voice was deeper with the words, a little husky, so he cleared his throat to get rid of it. Stiles' eyes dilated but he nodded hurriedly, clutching the jacket tighter to himself.

"So, um, I guess this is goodnight then." Stiles said after a moment of the two of them sitting in silence. Derek nodded, needing to get Stiles out of his car as soon as possible. He needed to get away from him, needed to get away from his tantalizing scent and his tantalizing everything. He needed to get home and somewhere far away from Stiles. He knew he was going to go home and give in to his baser desires a little bit but no one had to know that.

"Yep." Derek agreed. He wondered if he could reach over, open the door and shove Stiles out of the car before speeding off so he could get out of this situation as soon as possible. His wolf wanted to do things to Stiles. More than just his _wolf_ wanted to do things to Stiles. He reigned in the impulse because knew that wasn't a realistic thought. Plus he didn’t want to hurt Stiles and pushing him out of a car would probably hurt.

Stiles nodded, opening the door himself and sticking one leg out of the car. Derek felt himself letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in relief before he sucked it back up again when Stiles pulled his leg back in, shut the door and threw himself at Derek. "Fuck it." He mumbled, grabbing fistfuls of Derek's shirt and using it to tug him in closer, smashing their lips together.

Derek's eyes widened in surprise as he felt himself being kissed. Stiles pressed against him, kissing unresponsive lips, before finally pulling away. He was blushing, his cheeks bright red and his ears looking like they would be hot to the touch they were that red. He sat back against the door, rubbing his thumb over his forehead, and avoided Derek's eyes. 

Derek was staring at him in complete and utter shock, his eyes wide and his mouth dropped open. "What was that?" He asked, his voice way too high pitched for his liking, almost a squeak. Stiles let out a puff of air, his eyes sliding closed as he calmed his heavy breathing.

"Look, we're pretending to be dating. We have to go on dates, preferably somewhere the people we're fooling will be." He reiterated and Derek nodded, not knowing what the fuck that had to do with Stiles throwing himself at him. "Couples kiss, Derek. I was just getting it out of the way so our first kiss in front of everyone wouldn't be awkward as fuck." He added. 

Huh.

That made sense. 

It made all the sense in the world. 

Which was why Derek undid his seatbelt and threw himself at Stiles, using a grip on his own jacket wrapped around Stiles to haul him in closer. 

He pressed his hungry lips to Stiles’ and Stiles let out a squawk of surprise but quickly sunk into the kiss. His hands moved up to run through Derek's hair, and shit, that was something Derek knew he had to do to himself later when he was alone, pretending it was the other man. Stiles nibbled at Derek's bottom lip with blunt teeth and it made Derek's gums itch with the urge to do the same but with sharp fangs. Not that he'd hurt him, he would do it gently, teasingly, erotically. Derek sucked Stiles' bottom lip into his mouth and it made Stiles moan, his fingernails digging into the top of Derek's skull. Derek had to move his hands from Stiles' hips (not that he knew when they'd moved there, the damn things had a mind of their own) to keep from doing the same to him but with longer than human - though not quite claws - nails.

After what felt like a millennia, they pulled apart. Stiles' lips were plump and red, drawing Derek's eyes to them and making him lick his own. He had a slight rash around his mouth where Derek's stubble had rubbed against him, and Derek knew it was only going to get worse later, more pronounced, after it sunk in. His hair was wild, as were his eyes, and he was staring at Derek with something like wonder on his face. 

"Good job." Derek said shortly, groaning internally at his word choice. 

Who the hell said good job after kissing someone? How was that something even verging on appropriate? Especially after a kiss as amazing as that.

Stiles grinned and nodded, reaching out to give Derek's shoulder a playful punch. "You too." 

Well, at least they were morons together.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Derek prompted. He needed to get Stiles out of his car before he did it again, before he took the other man's tempting lips back into his possession. Thankfully Stiles nodded, opening the car door again and climbing out. Before he could get very far he bent back down, rapping on the window with his knuckle until Derek wound it down, and then shoved his face back into the car.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow." He said, a shit eating grin on his face. Derek rolled his eyes and pushed his face back out of the car with one hand, using the other to refasten his seatbelt and then start the engine again.

"Why did I subject myself to this?" He mused aloud but Stiles simply laughed, taking a step back and waving as Derek pulled away from the curb.

The kiss replayed itself over and over again in Derek's mind on the way home. Derek was honestly surprised he didn't get into an accident, his mind was that distracted. Before he knew it he was back at his house, out of the car and unlocking the front door. He knew he had a goofy grin on his face and there was a distinct possibility he was humming under his breath, which was something he never, ever did. He was already planning out how he was going to spend the rest of his night before sleep, his spank bank full of real and imagined scenarios featuring his fake boyfriend, and it was going to be amazing.

He flicked on the light and then jumped back in shock, nearly having a heart attack when he realized he wasn't alone. "Holy mother of...!" He cried out in shock, his hand coming up in front of himself, his claws at the ready. 

The person sitting on his couch (in the dark, what the hell was wrong with her?) was no threat though, so he calmed down. No, it was just his best friend, Erica. 

His best friend Erica, who'd had her key confiscated after she'd been caught helping herself to the items in his fridge, pantry, cupboard, wardrobe and garage a little too often. 

His best friend Erica, who was supposed to be out of town for another week. 

His best friend Erica, who was lucky she hadn't been mauled by a startled werewolf.

"Dammit Erica, how'd you get in?" He growled at her, running his hand over the top of his head, ignoring the fact that his hair was still a mess from Stiles running his fingers through it.

"Your bedroom window." She explained with a shrug, jerking her head in the direction of the stairs. He groaned because he _knew_ he'd shut and locked that. It wasn't the first time she'd broken a window to get in and it wouldn't be the last either.

"Well what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be at your family reunion for another week?" He asked in annoyance, storming into his kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed two beers before heading back to the living room and crashing onto the couch next to her, offering her one. 

"Yep." She said simply, opening the bottle and taking a long drag. When no further explanation was forthcoming he groaned, giving her the stink eye. "Got bored. There's only so many stories about dead elderly relatives she’s never met a girl can hear before she goes insane." She told him.

He could see how that could be frustrating. Nana Hale was the master of that, often telling inappropriate tales about the time she’d formed a makeshift pack with a bunch of hippie werewolves in the sixties and seventies and all the love-ins and orgies they’d had. 

No one wanted to think about their Nana having orgies.

No one.

"Now, imagine my surprise when I came back into town and immediately heard that you’re dating Sheriff Stilinski's son." She told him, a predatory grin coming over her face. Derek groaned again, throwing his head back against the couch.

"Shut up." He told her simply, knowing it wouldn’t work but hoping against hope that it would anyway. She cackled teasingly, shifting onto her side so she could see him better.

"What I want to know is how you managed to hide it from us all for all this time." She told him, leaning in closer and sniffing him creepily. To be fair though, it was a move she'd learnt from him so he couldn't really complain that much. "You must have been taking twenty showers a day to rid yourself of his scent. Now though? To use a tasteless joke, you smell like a dog that's been rolling around in the mud." She told him, a grin lighting up her features. "Get it? You're the dog in this analogy and he's the mud." She added, as though he wouldn't get the comparison. 

Derek rolled his eyes at her. It was times like this that he wished his mother hadn't bitten her.

He'd met Erica in high school. She was the quiet, shy girl who always tried to fade into the background. She'd had epilepsy and had suffered really bad seizures. Because of this condition, the other kids had thought she was weird. One day she'd had a really bad seizure, in front of the whole school. People had laughed and mocked her, not caring that it was a serious condition and that she might get hurt in the throes of it. Derek had sprung into action, trying to help her. He'd been with her when she came out of the seizure, shielding her from the view of everyone else, and they'd been friends ever since.

His mother had given her the bite after she'd had her worst seizure ever and ended up seriously hurt. She'd banged her head and no one had been around, it was a miracle she hadn't died. She'd already known that they were werewolves then, had stumbled upon the truth by herself, and had asked for the bite. Talia had sat her down and told her all the pros and cons to becoming a werewolf, made her go away for a few weeks to think about it so it wasn't a spur of the moment decision. It was a very serious decision and she wanted her to make it under the right circumstances. When Erica had come back with an answer, it had been yes. 

She'd gotten the bite, become pack, and now Derek was stuck with her.

He wouldn't have it any other way, truthfully.

"Just drop it, Erica." He told her. She pouted at him and rested her head on his shoulder, curling up close to him.

"I get you not wanting to tell your family, but why wouldn't you tell _me_?" She asked and there was genuine hurt in her tone. She was the person he told everything to, whether he wanted to or not. She was really good at digging his secrets out of him. While she hadn't ever gotten him to admit to his feelings for Stiles out loud before, she'd at least gotten him to not dismiss those ideas at all, which was just as good as admitting it.

"It's nothing." He claimed, trying to brush it off, but she rolled her eyes at him.

"Derek, it's _Stiles_.” She pointed out. “And it's you with your commitment and trust issues and you overcoming them to even be able to date him. It could _never_ be _nothing_ for you." She told him, snuggling in closer to him. Derek sighed, resting his head against the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

"I didn't want to rush into things. I didn't want people to get ahead of themselves. I didn't want to make it real and risk him running away." He told her, his voice barely above a whisper. Everything he was saying was true, those were the exact reasons he'd never actually done anything about his feelings for Stiles. He could get away with it undetected because there wasn't a lie amongst his explanations at all.

Erica simply stared at him for a heart stopping moment. He worried that she knew, that she could see through his lie and that everything would come crashing down around him. 

But then she smiled, reaching forward to pinch his cheek, making him roll his eyes.

"I'm glad you're taking the risk." She told him seriously, laying her head on his chest and holding him tight. He felt his heart pounding, knowing she could hear and feel it, but hoped she'd chalk it up to his feelings for Stiles and not the fear that he'd been caught out. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before she pulled back hurriedly and gazed at him with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"So, has he got a big dick? Just look at those hands, he _has_ to have a big dick. You'll be crushing my spirit if you say he doesn't." She said, smirking at him. Derek rolled his eyes and got up, walking away from her. "Derek! Don't leave me hanging here." She called after him, hanging over the back of the couch and cackling once more.

Derek needed to get away from those questions. 

Mainly because he didn't know the answer to that question and if he let himself think about it for even a _second_ , he wouldn't be able to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I'll try to keep my own deadline for the next part.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Derek thinks he can relax and let his guard down about the whole fake relationship deal, Sheriff Stilinski comes along and blows that right out of the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so obviously I suck at deadlines. I'm so, so sorry. I wish I had more time to sit down and write but with all my time being sucked up by other commitments, some of which I wish I didn't have, I'm finding it hard to keep up. I promise I will keep writing whenever I have time, this story will not be abandoned, but you might have to bear with me if updates are slow. I'm so, so sorry, I know what it's like to be waiting for updates, but I'm trying my hardest.

When Derek pulled into the parking lot at the station the next day, he felt all of the tension he was carrying around dissipate. He had a job to do here and could put everything else on the back burner for a while, he didn‘t have to worry about his family here. 

He walked inside and greeted all of his coworkers, going into the locker room to get ready. He rummaged around in his locker, searching for a breakfast bar he knew was hiding somewhere inside, and grinned in triumph when he found it. When he shut the locker door he jumped because the Sheriff was standing right next to him, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrow arched. Derek couldn't believe he hadn't heard him coming, or heard him standing there, but there he was. 

He was starting to think there was something wrong with his senses. But no, it was just that he was preoccupied. 

With Stiles.

Which wasn't actually anything all that new.

"Derek. I trust you had a good night with my son last night." John said, giving him a smile that _could_ have been friendly but was more on the threatening side of the scale than the friendly side. For a moment he worried that they'd been seen making out in his car after dinner, that the Sheriff was telling him to keep his paws to himself. 

No pun intended seeing as though the sheriff knew nothing about him being a werewolf, or the supernatural being real in general. 

"Yes sir. My family have basically adopted him so..." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. It was true, his family adored Stiles. He was a little convinced they even liked him better than they liked Derek himself. 

He didn't blame them.

"He _does_ have a way of getting under people's skin." John agreed, his smile turning fond and his posture relaxing slightly as he got caught up in thoughts of his son. Derek hummed in agreement because that was most definitely true, he was living proof of it. John straightened from his relaxed position, his face hardening again. "I think its only fair that I get the same opportunity, don't you?" He added, arching an eyebrow at Derek. 

Derek screwed his face up in confusion. John thought he should have the opportunity to adopt Stiles? That didn't make sense. 

It took a moment but his brain finally caught up to the conversation. John didn't think he should have an opportunity to adopt _Stiles_ , he thought he should have the opportunity to adopt _Derek_. 

The idea of it terrified him just as much as it made him feel all warm and mushy inside. 

"Oh, um, if you think..." He started, trailing off in embarrassment, his nerves getting the better of him. 

"I _do_ think." John said in that no nonsense way he used when he talked to perps. Derek gulped in nervousness. Like most criminals that were usually on the receiving end of that look, he had a lot to hide. For instance, the fact that he was a werewolf, and the small matter of him not _actually_ being his son's boyfriend. 

Okay, that one wasn't so small in this case. 

"Okay, sir." Derek agreed. The man was his boss, he couldn't do anything to upset him. Which was probably something he should have thought about _before_ he got Stiles to agree to being his fake boyfriend, a task which would require the two of them to fake _break up_ , which might just resort to Derek riding the desk or manning the switch or something equally as horrible. 

"Tomorrow night okay with you?" John asked, his friendly grin back on his face as he clapped Derek on the shoulder and squeezed in that parental and approving way Derek was used to from him. He nodded hurriedly, ready to agree with anything at that moment. John offered him one more smile before leaving the locker room and heading back to his office. 

Once the coast was clear, Derek using his senses to make sure no one else was anywhere within hearing distance, he took out his phone and hurriedly dialed Stiles' number. Stiles must have gotten to his phone sometime during the visit with his family the night before and changed his contact info in his phone as 'Stiles (my boo)' because that's what flashed up when he pressed call. He couldn’t help but let a small smile slip through, despite how much he was freaking out about what just happened.

"Someone better be dying, Derek. It's four in the morning." Stiles groaned when he finally answered the phone, his words muffled as though he still had his face pressed into the pillow. "Wait, is my dad okay?" He asked worriedly, remembering that that was an actual thing that Derek might call him about, suddenly sounding a whole lot more awake. Derek could hear the sounds of bed sheets shifting as Stiles pushed himself upright. He pictured him searching the room for wearable clothes, should he need to get to the hospital.

"Your dad's fine, Stiles." He said soothingly, needing to get that out of the way so the other man wouldn't worry. He knew how much Stiles worried about his father even on a good day, receiving a phone call this early would obviously make him worried about him. He would have thought about that _before_ calling if he wasn't kind of shitting himself about what had happened. "But he just invited me to dinner at his place tomorrow night." He hissed frantically into the phone, just in case someone was able to overhear his conversation. Erica was still technically on vacation despite being back home, but Boyd was scheduled to work that day and he didn't want to take any chances of being overheard. 

Stiles let out a sigh of relief that no one was injured or dying or dead and then yawned, the sound of him rubbing his eyes coming through the phone. Derek tried his hardest not to picture it because it seemed a bit too domestic to be privy to. "Well I hope _I'm_ invited because this is the first I've heard of it." Stiles returned, sounding like he was laying back in the bed and making himself comfortable again. 

Derek's eyes widened in alarm. He hadn't even _considered_ the fact that Stiles may not be there. 

He was screwed, he knew it. John was going to murder him and bury his body in his backyard. He probably had a spot all picked out for him, a spot that he could gaze over knowingly whenever anyone asked about what had happened to Derek.

"Stop freaking out, I can practically hear you worrying over the phone, Sourface." Stiles ordered, snapping Derek out of images of John sitting across from him (just him, no Stiles) at the dinner table while polishing his gun. Maybe it would 'accidentally' go off, while it was pointed directly at Derek. Man, the healing would be a hard thing to explain. And he'd done so well not letting his abilities show through up until now. "Suck it up, dude. I just had to spend a night with your _entire_ family. My dad's a _kitten_ compared to the wolves you call your family." He added, another yawn cutting through his words. 

Derek snorted, keeping how much his family actually _were_ wolves to himself. "There's one major difference here. Your dad is my _boss_." He reminded him. 

"Maybe. But with your family home being surrounded by miles of woods, I'm pretty sure they could murder me and make it so no one ever found the body." Stiles argued back. 

Derek wasn't going to admit how true that was, given the amount bodies of feral omegas or violent rival packs his family had dealt with over _generations_ that were located all around the woods. Not to mention all of the ceremonial burial plots with family members shifted into their wolf forms that went back generations. 

"Look, I'll fix it. You're my dad's favorite so stop freaking out and get to work, lazy." He added. Derek rolled his eyes but hung up the phone without even so much as a goodbye. 

By the time he got to his desk he could hear Jerry who manned the phones patching a phone call through to the sheriff. John sounded amused as he answered the phone. 

"He went running to you as soon as I left, did he?" He asked, having no idea that Derek could hear every word he was saying. 

"You scared the shit out of him, Dad. I'm pretty sure he thinks you're plotting his death right now." Stiles complained, whining like he was a teenager again. 

John chuckled, sounding unrepentant. "He just looked so _scared_ , I couldn't help it." He told his son, his tone almost gleeful. "So how does dinner with me and your _special friend_ sound for tomorrow night?" He added, a teasing tone to his voice. Stiles groaned again and Derek could just picture him throwing his hand over his eyes in embarrassment. 

"Don't mess with him, Dad. I really like him, okay?" He asked in a soft voice that made Derek's breath hitch. 

Stiles had to be a good actor because that had sounded real. 

"I know you do, son." John assured him, seriousness overtaking his playful tone. "But I'm your father, I have the right to mess with him a little." He added. Derek could practically hear the grin in his voice. 

Stiles groaned and muttered something about annoying fathers before the two men exchanged I love you's and hung up the phone. 

Derek was still trying to process everything he'd heard when Boyd came to stand next to him. 

Boyd was Erica's boyfriend, Derek's other best friend and his pack mate. He'd been in the same year Derek and Erica had been in at school and was the quiet and kind of shy kid that had blended into the background. Even now he was still quiet and despite his muscles, still had the ability to fade into the background if he wanted to. It came in handy on the job. 

He'd had a massive crush on Erica in high school so had noticed right away when she'd changed after she'd received the bite. At first he'd thought that she had gotten involved with a bad crowd because at first the new power flowing through her veins from the bite had affected her in not so pleasant ways. He'd confronted Derek, thinking Derek had led her down the wrong path into drugs or something, but that had stopped the second he'd found himself in the middle of an attack by a rival pack who were aiming to take out the Hale pack Alpha's children. Erica had gotten hurt but was slow to heal and Boyd hadn't been able to protect her because he was just a human. 

By himself he'd gone to Talia and had asked for the bite so he could protect the people he cared about. Talia had turned him down. She'd told him that though his intentions were noble, he didn't know enough about werewolves to make an informed decision. He'd started hanging around with Erica and Derek, had come out of his shell because he had people he cared about that cared about him. It hadn't taken long for Erica to start to fall for him when she had a chance to break past his outer shell and the two had begun a relationship that continued to last. It wasn't until after high school that Talia finally agreed to give him the bite when he asked again, pointing out that he was more than informed now.

Boyd gave him a head nod in greeting and then punched his shoulder, making Derek grunt in pain and give him a confused look.

"What was that for?" He asked, rubbing the sore muscle even as it quickly healed.

"For making Erica mope to me about you not trusting us enough to tell us about Stilinski." Boyd explained with a shrug. "You could have told us, you know. I promise I would have _tried_ to make Erica not tease you." He added, a grin coming to his face even though it was clear he meant at least the first part.

"It was just... private, that's all. It's nothing about you guys or our friendship. I just wasn't ready." He told him. Boyd gave him a piercing stare and Derek worried that he'd been busted. He felt like he should have known that if anyone could see through his deceit, it would be Boyd. He was good at reading people, always had been, and had gotten better at it after he'd gotten the bite and experienced heightened senses. It wouldn't be a surprise if he could see the truth.

"Well you can tell us anything. Especially Erica because she wants details that I don't even want to think about." Boyd told him, flashing a grin his way. Derek rolled his eyes and followed Boyd out to the squad cars, the two of them having their assignment out on the streets to get to.

Later they were sitting in the car, hidden slightly in the tree line, trying to catch people speeding. Derek kept glancing at Boyd and it was clear the other man had noticed and knew he wanted to talk to him about something but wasn't pushing the issue. Finally Derek sighed, turning to face him.

"John invited me to dinner at his place. As Stiles' boyfriend. And I'm freaking out." He told him. Boyd smirked and nodded but still didn't say anything. "He's my boss, I'm entitled to freak out about it, right?" He asked. Boyd shrugged one shoulder, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Everyone knows John likes you the best of us all. I'm sure he's already picturing the two of you walking down the aisle and getting to call you his son officially." Boyd told him, a smirk spreading over his face. Derek tried not to let himself get carried away with the image of that, though he had to admit that it gave him butterflies in his stomach thinking about it. 

_Manly_ butterflies though... oh who was he kidding, these were little girl butterflies that had pigtails in their hair or something.

"You're not helping." Derek told him, giving him his best glare. Boyd shrugged again as a car went through the speed trap, going at a speed so fast even Derek knew they were well over the limit and he wasn't the one holding the scanner.

"I'm not trying to." He told him as he flicked on the siren and nodded at Derek to follow after the speeding car.

Thankfully Derek's mind was taken off of his predicament as the day went on. He found himself unable to concentrate on anything other than his job, which was good. If you didn't concentrate on the job you put yourself and your partner at risk and he couldn't have that happening, even though as werewolves the both of them could heal from anything that might happen to them. Unless it was a wolfsbane bullet of course, but that wasn't very likely in their town because of his mother having a very strong agreement with the local hunters.

The thought of dinner with the Stilinski's didn't come back into his mind until he was back at the station at the end of his shift. Sheriff Stilinski was there, along with Stiles. Derek froze, feeling like a deer in the headlights. Stiles was only there to bring his father a nice healthy meal (that would be given away to someone else - usually Derek actually - if Stiles left the office and traded in for something of the fast food or not so good for you variety). It wasn’t anything that hadn’t happened before and he could deal with it. Nothing really had to be different. 

"There's my Honeybunch." Stiles said with a smirk as he walked over to lay a quick kiss on Derek's lips. It was over before it even really began but Derek had still felt his own lips reacting to it. 

Okay, so maybe some things had to be different.

"No." Derek grunted at him, because that was not going to happen, he was not going to be called _Honeybunch_. 

Stiles chuckled and reached down to take Derek's hand, leading him over to stand in front of the Sheriff. "Just testing it out, Lovemuffin." He told him. He had a shit eating grin on his face and Derek groaned, wondering if he'd signed himself up for a whole bunch of ridiculous pet names for the length of this whole fake dating thing.

He gave Stiles a warning look and it made both Stilinski's chuckle. "I get that you're excited to be out of the relationship closet, but I think your boyfriend is going to kill you if you keep it up." John warned with a chuckle. Stiles grinned, shaking his head.

"Nah, he needs me in his life too much for that." He told his father, shooting a sly wink Derek's way. 

The words made Derek crash back down to Earth. He'd been imagining the two of them as a real couple for a moment there, with the ease with which they'd kissed and touched, but then Stiles had reminded him that he was only doing this because it was something Derek needed him to do. Of course the words he'd spoken to his father on the phone earlier, saying that he really liked Derek, had been an act. Stiles was attracted to his body but that was it. He didn't wish this was real like Derek did deep down inside, he was doing it because Derek had _asked_ him to.

He grunted out something unintelligible about needing to do paperwork, untangled his hand from Stiles' grip and slunk over to his desk. He could hear John telling his son that he'd embarrassed him, that things Derek said to Stiles in privacy weren't things he should repeat, even to his father, but he didn't look up. 

Maybe if he had looked up he would have seen the way Stiles was looking at him; worried and sad and like he thought he'd just screwed everything up.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Sheriff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have a new chapter. I'm still off my self inflicted deadline, but at least this one was only by a few days instead of longer like it usually is!

Derek was waiting by the door when Stiles came to pick him up to go to his dad's place for dinner the next night. He felt like a teenager waiting for his date to pick him up for prom or something, he was that nervous. When he opened the door, just barely waiting for him to knock, Stiles was wearing Derek’s leather jacket, but not even that could make Derek smile. He was way too nervous. His palms were sweaty and he was glad that neither Stiles or his father were werewolves because they’d definitely hear it and that would just be completely mortifying. 

As soon as he walked through the door Stiles, shoved a bag at Derek, a smirk on his lips. Derek's eyebrow rose in confusion as he opened it and pulled out a plaid shirt.

"What's this?" He asked, holding it up. Stiles grinned at him.

"I have your jacket so I thought I'd return the gesture. It's my shirt." He explained, looking pleased with himself. Derek already knew it was his shirt, he could smell Stiles on it so strongly it was almost like he's been wearing it just before he'd answered the door. The whole thing was ridiculous though because scent wasn't important to the Sheriff, he was human, there was no need for Stiles to have been wearing the shirt. Obviously he just thought he was being funny.

"Okay." Derek said slowly, placing the shirt on the couch and moving to follow Stiles.

"Hey, whoa, wait a minute." Stiles said hurriedly, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to the couch. He picked up the shirt and shoved it at Derek. "You should wear it _now_." He told him, actually looking kind of nervous. 

Derek swallowed heavily. The thought of wearing Stiles’ shirt, of being encompassed by his scent, was a little nerve wracking. He wanted to be surrounded by Stiles’ scent, probably too much, but Stiles of course had no idea what he was doing. He wasn’t doing this to try to scent mark him, like Derek had, he was probably only doing it for payback, but dammit did Derek want to be scent marked by Stiles.

"Your shirt. You want me to wear your shirt? Now?" He asked. Stiles nodded, shifting from side to side. "This isn't like a jacket, Stiles. Your dad will think we were just... and I couldn't find my shirt so I put yours on." He pointed out, a blush staining his cheeks.

"Okay first, can you seriously not say fucked? My dad will think we _fucked_ , is what you were trying to say." Stiles said, dragging the word out as though he was teaching him. "And secondly, so what? Newsflash, my dad _already_ thinks we're fucking. Clothes get left behind, get mixed into wardrobes. It doesn't necessarily mean we just finished doing the nasty, just that we have in the past and my shirt got included in your wardrobe. It makes it look like this is something we‘ve been doing for a while, which is what we want them all to think." He explained. Derek rolled his eyes even though he knew that was true.

"This isn't exactly something I'd usually wear." He pointed out, waving a hand at his dark outfit made up of black jeans and dark grey Henley. He had his backup leather jacket thrown over the shirt, dressing it up a bit to be more suitable for a meeting the parent thing. The shirt Stiles had given him was red and white, definitely not the type of colors he normally wore.

"But that was before you were overcome with love for me." Stiles says, batting his eyelashes in a way that made him look absolutely ridiculous and not cute at all. 

Well maybe a little. 

Or a lot. 

Okay, it was freaking adorable.

"I hate you." Derek griped, shrugging off his jacket and sliding the shirt on over to top of his Henley. Stiles grinned at him, reaching out to help straighten it up. 

Stiles' scent enveloped him like a warm embrace, almost making him dizzy with it. He wanted to just stay there and breathe it in for a moment but that would definitely look weird. He’d do it later, when he was all alone, and there was no one there to make fun of him for it.

"No you don't." Stiles said, sounding fond. He stood back to admire his handiwork. His breath caught in his throat and it was clear he liked what he saw. Derek could relate, seeing as though he'd had the same reaction upon seeing Stiles in his jacket. "Okay, so, we should go." Stiles said, stepping back and clearing his throat. Derek nodded and trailed after him out of the apartment, locking up behind himself.

Stiles was quiet on the drive to his father's house, for once not teasing Derek for being so tense. Derek was still picturing the worst things happening. He was thinking about John threatening him. He was thinking about him finding out the truth. He was thinking about saying or doing something to mess things up with both generations of Stilinski's. He was thinking of this whole thing blowing up in his face

When they got to the house, Stiles got out of the car and let Derek sit there for a moment, letting him calm down before getting out of the car. He waited for him to join him in front of the car, took his hand and gave it a supportive squeeze as they walked to the front door. Stiles knocked on the door, even though Derek was certain he had a key and could just let them in, and waited for his father to come let them in. Derek appreciated the few extra seconds to ready himself.

The sheriff answered the door, dressed in casual clothes with a huge smile on his face. "Hey guys. Come in, come in." He offered, stepping aside to let them enter. Stiles walked inside, shooting his dad a warning look, and dragged Derek in with him because his feet didn't seem to want to cooperate in actually walking into the house. "Derek, I'm sorry for messing with you. I promise I didn't invite you here to give you a hard time." John assured him as he passed him, clapping him on the shoulder. Derek gave him a slight smile but still wasn't sure if he could relax properly yet.

" _See_ Derek." Stiles said with a grin, elbowing him in the side. 

"My _son_ is another matter entirely, though." He said, turning a wicked grin on his son. Stiles' eyes widened as John turned and led them into the living room. 

There were plates and glasses and drinks on the coffee table, along with three pizzas, a vegetarian one, a meaty one and a pepperoni one, as well as homemade garlic bread spread between them, enough for all of them. The television was on but blank, making it clear they were going to be watching something. John grinned smugly and moved to sit in an armchair that was clearly his favorite, waving towards the couch for them to sit. Stiles gave his father a suspicious look but sat down, pulling Derek with him. Once they were seated John indicated they should help themselves to the food, getting his own slices (wisely taking only the vegetarian pizza with Stiles' hawk-like gaze on him) before picking up the remote control.

"I thought we might enjoy a night of home theatre." John said with a smirk that kind of reminded Derek of the one Stiles got when he was up to something and his eyes shining happily. He pressed a button on the remote and started whatever it was he had cued up.

When the video started it became clear that they were home movies of Stiles as a child. Derek's family had embarrassed him completely with pictures and now John was doing the same to Stiles but with video. 

This he could get on board with.

The look on Stiles' face when he realized what it was his dad had put on for them to watch was something to see. Derek really understood how much fun Stiles had had looking at the pictures of him from childhood now because this was priceless.

"No, Dad, I can't believe you're doing this to me." Stiles whined as an image of three year old Stiles wearing a woman's dress and putting on his mother's makeup came on the screen.

"I understand that the baby pictures got brought out at the Hale's. It's only fair that I get a turn too." John said happily, a huge smirk on his face.

The sound of heels clomping down a hallway sounded on the TV screen before Stiles' best friend Scott made an appearance, wearing a dress and makeup to match the oversized heels on his feet. The two boys grinned at each other and then started pulling more things out of Stiles' mothers closet to put on each other.

The image on the screen changed to Stiles playing in an inflatable pool. He was splashing around, a huge smile on his face and looking like he was having the time of his life. John could be heard talking to him from behind the camera, asking if he was having fun. Stiles nodded and laughed as he splashed at his dad, trying to get him wet. He stood up suddenly, revealing that he was naked in the pool, and Derek just couldn't stop himself from getting revenge on him.

"Aw, it's Stiles' little thing." Derek cooed mockingly, elbowing Stiles lightly in the side. The sheriff chuckled while Stiles groaned and shot a glare his way for finding that amusing.

"This is unfair. I thought you were going to torture _Derek_ , not _me_." Stiles complained, slumping down in his seat. John snorted, shaking his head.

"Sorry kiddo, this was the plan all along." He informed him, taking a satisfied bite out of his pizza.

They watched the videos all night, John making sure to get to the TV before Stiles did so he couldn't put something else on. Derek thought the videos were cute. There was video of Stiles pretending to be a news anchor and reporting on who had stolen the last cookie from the cookie jar (spoiler; it was himself). There was video of Stiles and Scott putting on little plays and performances for their parents, either singing or dancing or acting out really lame but complex stories. There was a video, obviously filmed by Scott, of Stiles attempting to jump from his window to a trampoline that was placed underneath it, followed up by video of him in the hospital getting a broken arm patched up as a consequence of that. There was video of school plays and recitals. Videos of Stiles spazzing out and dancing for the camera in his room. Those videos embarrassed Stiles the most because it seemed he hadn't known is father had those. 

Near the end of the night, a video came on that was of an eight year old Stiles laying curled up on his mother's hospital bed as she read him a story. Derek could see that the Stiles on the screen was crying silently and his frail looking mother looked weak and as though she was holding back tears of her own. He glanced around the room and saw that both Stilinski's were frozen, staring at the screen. Derek had a feeling that the sheriff hadn't realized that this particular video had been on that tape. 

He knew about the death of Stiles' mother, everyone in their town knew about it. No one ever talked about it because it was obvious it was a raw nerve for the Stilinski's, even after so many years. The sheriff had even been wearing his ring up until a few years previous, only taking it off after he'd begun to date nurse McCall and things had gotten serious. It was clear that this video was taken near the end of Mrs. Stilinski's life and the two men were completely enthralled by it, so Derek kept as quiet as possible. He jumped when he felt a hand touching his but relaxed and took hold of Stiles' hand when he realized he was reaching out to him, letting him squeeze it as tightly as he wanted to.

John got up out of his seat as he turned off the video once it ended. "Well, I need to go get the ice cream out of the freezer so we can have dessert." He said, his voice quivering slightly and trying to hold it together. Both Stiles and Derek nodded, pretending not to see how much it was affecting him. He loved Melissa McCall, everyone knew that, but his wife had a part of his heart that no one could ever touch. He would always be in love with his wife, no matter what, so seeing her again, and at her sickest, obviously hadn't been easy for him.

"You okay?" Derek asked Stiles softly once they were alone. Stiles nodded, still staring at the blank tv.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" He asked, a small smile coming to his face. Derek nodded because even though she'd been in the end stages of the disease that killed her in the video, it was easy to see how beautiful she'd been, both inside and out. 

“She was gorgeous.” He agreed, keeping his tone soft. He thought that Stiles was a lot like her, in more than one way. 

"Sometimes... I feel like I'm forgetting things about her, and I hate that. But seeing that video just brought it all back." He said, a small smile on his face. Derek nodded. He got that, he understood how something that could be so painful could bring you relief as well. After all, that was why he kept himself from having a proper and real romantic relationship with anybody.

"Maybe you should ask your dad for a copy of that video." He suggested. Stiles looked surprise at the suggestion but seemed to be thinking it over.

"Sorry boys, guess I forgot to get ice cream." John said when he walked back into the room. Derek knew he hadn't even looked but didn't blame him for wanting to get out of the room to have a moment to himself after that video.

"That's okay, we should be going anyway. It‘s getting late." Stiles said, standing up and pulling Derek up with him with his hand that was still entwined with Derek's. John nodded, following them over to the front door.

"Well I hope you enjoyed this night of Stiles' humiliation as much as he enjoyed yours, Derek." John said as they stood by the door, a smirk on his face and reaching out to squeeze his son's shoulder. Stiles groaned good naturedly and Derek couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, I definitely did." He said, grinning when it made Stiles thump him in the chest.

They headed out to the car, waving at John as they climbed inside. Stiles started the car and started pulling out of the driveway but there was a frown on his face and he kept looking like he was going to say something before shaking it off. Derek could see that the last video to play had really messed with him and had a feeling that whatever Stiles wanted to say was about that.

"What?" He asked finally, after Stiles opened his mouth to say something but then snapped it shut and shook his head again. Stiles sighed and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Okay, so look," he started, looking nervous, "my Dad and I? We try not to talk about my Mom because it still hits us both really hard. So seeing that video kind of threw me." He said, reaching up to rub his thumb against his forehead. Derek nodded because he could understand that. "So I was wondering if..." He trailed off, shaking his head at himself. "No, you know what, just forget it. It was a stupid thought anyway." He said bitterly, reaching down to start the car up again.

"No, what was it you wanted to ask?" He asked, reaching out to pull Stiles' hand away from the keys. He wasn't going to let them leave until he found out what was up. Stiles was clearly distressed and he didn't like seeing it.

"I just thought... maybe instead of me taking you back to your place you could... come back to mine and we could, I don't know, hang out for a while?" He suggested, looking straight ahead so he wouldn't have to see Derek at all. "I just... don't feel like being alone right now." He added, picking at his fingernails. 

"Okay." Derek agreed, stifling a grin when Stiles whipped his head around towards him in shock. Stiles stared at him for a moment before Derek nodded his head to the keys again, indicating they should go. Stiles restarted the engine, looking surprised that Derek had even agreed.

Once they got back to Stiles' place, he started looking nervous. He rushed around the apartment, grabbing random stuff and shoving it into a closet in an attempt to clean up a little. Once the couch was clear of the papers and files that had been spread completely over it, he waved towards it for Derek to sit and then headed over to the bookcase that contained his DVD’s. 

"Um, so we could watch a movie?" He asked and Derek shrugged, settling in and getting comfortable. He took off his jacket, slid off his shoes and made himself completely at home. Something about Stiles' apartment made him feel like he could make himself as comfortable as he wanted. It might have been his wolf nesting, which was bad news seeing as though all of this was fake, but he wasn’t going to stop himself. "So, what are you in the mood to watch?" He asked, grabbing a few DVD’s and turning to face him.

"Whatever you want to watch is fine with me." He assured him.

Stiles popped in Star Wars: A New Hope, and then settled back on the couch. Derek bit his lip to try to reign in his inner fanboy. It was embarrassing how much he loved the Star Wars movies, but from the look on Stiles' face he definitely wasn't alone. They spent the whole movie discussing the changes to the series that George Lucas kept making, lamenting his inability to just leave it the fuck alone any time it got re-released. They moved from A New Hope to The Empire Strikes back and then to Return of the Jedi. 

The next thing Derek knew, he was jolting awake some time later, the menu screen for Return of the Jedi playing on a loop and the sun hitting his eyes. His head was resting on Stiles' chest and Stiles' fingers were woven through his hair. He didn't know when either of them fell asleep, couldn't remember if he'd made it to the end of the movie. He did remember taunting Stiles when his eyes had started drooping, saying that he obviously didn't have enough stamina to make it through the classics, but given their positions it seemed he was the one who'd fallen asleep first. He couldn't find it in himself to care.

For a moment, he let himself relax. He settled back against Stiles, sleepily rubbing his cheek against his chest, and let himself imagine that this was real. He imagined the two of them waking up like this together a lot, imagined how he might kiss Stiles awake. He imagined Stiles waking up and grinning at him happily, kissing him in that natural way that couples did, and then the two of them making breakfast together. He imagined maybe the two of them moving along to the bedroom and spending a lazy day in bed together, kissing and making love and only leaving to have food or use the bathroom. 

Suddenly Stiles let out a loud snore and startled himself awake, flailing about and dislodging Derek from his position. Derek was so startled that he ended up on the floor with a loud thump, staring up at Stiles in surprise. Stiles meeped and leant forward to look at him a little.

"Oh, hi." He said, blushing a little and rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry... sorry about that. Um, yeah." He said, getting up and looking anywhere but at Derek. He looked about as awkward as Derek was suddenly feeling. 

"No, no, it's fine." He assured him, getting up and stretching, letting out a satisfied groan as his joints popped a little. Stiles was staring at him with his mouth open and his blush brighter when he came back to himself after the satisfying stretch and Derek felt his own cheeks heating up in return.

"Guess we fell asleep, huh?" Stiles asked after a moment of awkward silence where they'd both merely been staring and blushing at each other.

"Guess so." Derek agreed.

"Do you want breakfast?" Stiles rushed out with just as Derek said, "I should be going." The two of them stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Stiles sighed.

"Oh, yeah, if that's... if that's what you want." He said, shifting from foot to foot. Derek wanted to tell him that he'd loved to stay for breakfast but he knew he couldn't. He had to go before he let himself forget that this wasn't real again. None of this was real.

They weren't going to wake up like this together a lot. He wasn't going to get to kiss Stiles awake. They weren't going to make breakfast together the way couples did and they definitely weren't going to spend the day in bed together.

"I'll let you know when we have to do something else to keep this up." He said, grabbing his jacket and walking to the door.

Stiles looked disappointed but Derek wasn't going to let himself think about it.

"Sure. You do that." He agreed, following behind him so he could lock up behind him. "Thanks for, you know. I needed that." He said once Derek was on the other side of the doorway and Derek gave him a smile and nodded.

"Hey, no problem." He assured him, giving him a little wave and taking off down the hallway.

He pretended he didn't hear Stiles groaning to himself once the door was shut.

It was better this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody still with me? Am I evil? I feel kind of evil for this but I just can't help it.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Scott McCall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit late updating but I'm still within the week so I'm counting this as a win!

A few days after the Morning of Awkward between him and Stiles (the capitalization was warranted), Derek was sitting in his favorite diner, enjoying a lovely breakfast by himself and reading before work. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see who it was. It wasn’t uncommon for people around the town to approach him, whether he was in or out of his uniform so he wasn’t surprised. 

The shadow belonged to Scott McCall, Stiles' best friend. Scott was looking at him guardedly, his arms crossed over his chest as though he thought maybe he could intimidate him. Which yeah, wasn't going to happen. 

"Hello Scott." He greeted, putting the book he'd been reading down and giving him all of his attention. "Was there something you wanted?" He asked and nodded to the other side of the booth, offering him the chance to sit down. Scott took the seat, sliding in while not taking his eyes off of Derek. He folded his hands over the top of the table, looking like he was conducting a job interview, and Derek suddenly felt as nervous as if this was one.

"You and Stiles." Scott opened with, cocking his head to the side. "I'm disappointed, man." He added, tutting a little and shaking his head.

Derek's eyes widened in fear. Oh shit, did Scott know the truth? Had Stiles told him? This could be a disaster if he'd told him the truth. Scott was a nice guy, someone that was hard to hate, but he could unravel everything. He could tell everyone the truth, leaving Derek red faced and pathetic and his family more worried about him than ever. 

He could not let that happen.

But until he was sure of what Scott did or didn't know, he was going to play it cool.

"Okay, I'll bite.” He said as casually as he possibly could when he was actually freaking the fuck out inside. “Why are you disappointed?" He asked, trying to keep his voice level and not betray how freaked out he was.

Scott narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a moment. Derek had an image of Scott confronting him with the truth, of Scott telling his family, of Scott telling John, of everything blowing up in his face and leaving him red faced and his family even more worried about him than they had been before. 

Instead of reading him the riot act, the look of anger just melted off his face, revealing a hurt look instead.

"Did you make him not tell me about you two?” Scott asked, his face crumbling. “Because that hurts, man. Stiles and I are best friends, we're _brothers_. He's told me everything there is to tell since he was old enough to _talk_. So the only reason I can see him not telling me that he finally managed to convince you to date him is because _you_ didn't want me to know." He told him. He sounded devastated.

Derek was relieved. So apparently Scott _didn't_ know the truth, it was just that he'd thought Stiles had been keeping him out of the loop of something. 

This he could deal with.

"No, I didn't tell him not to tell you." He assured him gently. "We just... needed some time to ourselves. It was nothing personal." He added. Scott sighed but nodded, absent mindedly reaching across the table and grabbing the last piece of bacon from Derek's plate, bringing it up to his mouth to munch on. Derek narrowed his eyes at him. It was quite the risk to take food off a werewolf's plate. 

He was lucky he hadn't pulled back with a stump instead of a hand.

"I just thought it had to be that you didn't like me and told him not to tell me." Scott said, sounding deflated. "I mean, it's you. I would have thought that Stiles would have been shouting it from the _rooftops_ when you finally got together. I mean, he's been crushing on you since..." His next words were muffled by a hand being shoved over his mouth. A familiar hand. Derek followed the hand up and sure enough, there was Stiles, blushing and looking simultaneously embarrassed and murderous.

"Scott, what are you doing here? Sitting with Derek? All by yourself?" He asked, pushing Scott further into the booth and forcing himself in next to him. Derek could feel movement under the table and knew that the two were kicking each other.

"Just having a little chat with Derek about me being kept in the dark about you two. I wanted to make sure he didn't have a problem with me because if he had a problem with me, we'd have a problem." Scott explained. He was trying to look aloof about the whole thing, which didn't work seeing as though he still looked hurt about it all.

"I assured him I didn't." Derek spoke up, making the two of them look over at him. Stiles still looked embarrassed but Derek didn't know whether it was about Scott cornering him alone, whatever it was Scott had been about to say (that he pretended he had no idea what he was saying) or just because of Derek in general.

The two of them had barely seen each other since the awkwardness of waking up together on Stiles' couch. They'd messaged each other and there'd been a memorable phone call involving the both of them and Laura because she'd been talking to Derek about wedding plans again and had conference Stiles in to get his opinion, and they'd seen each other in passing a couple of times, but that was about it. This was the first time they were actually face to face and it was more than a little awkward.

"Of course he didn't. Who could have a problem with you?" Stiles asked, shaking his head. "I told you, we just wanted it on the down low for a while. It wasn't you. It wasn't anybody." He assured him, his eyes catching on something. "Where'd you get the bacon?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at his friend. It was obvious that there was no plate in front of Scott, only the one in front of Derek, so there was really only one place he could have gotten it.

Scott blushed, looking from the bacon, to Derek and back again. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize." He froze for a moment before awkwardly holding the bacon out to him. "You want it back?" He asked, holding it out to Derek sheepishly.

A part of Derek wanted to lean forward and bite it, staking his claim over it once more. It was a stupid impulse and he blamed the wolf side of himself completely. He knew it was more the dickish older brother side of himself instead of the wolf side, but that was his business.

"Keep it." He said, a deadpan tone and look on his face. Scott grinned anyway and popped what remained of the bacon into his mouth, chewing happily. Stiles rolled his eyes at his friend, bumping his shoulder against his, but then reached across the table and grabbed the piece of toast Derek hadn't finished and shoved it in his mouth. Derek couldn't help but roll his eyes at the two of them, getting up from the booth. "I've got work. I'll see you two later." He said, automatically reaching down to check for his weapon and cuffs before turning to head out.

"Dude, you don't need to be light on the PDA on my account." Scott called out after him, making Derek freeze.

Crap, he was right. If he was really in a relationship with Stiles he would have kissed him goodbye. That was something that boyfriends did. They'd even already kissed so it wouldn't be awkward the first time they had to kiss in front of other people, this should be no big deal.

But it was.

It really was.

"Oh, right. Just got used to pretending." Derek said stiffly, spinning back around and leaning into Stiles, giving him a kiss goodbye. He lingered a little bit, unable to help it, but Stiles wasn't exactly pulling away either so he didn‘t feel too badly about it. 

When he pulled back Stiles was blushing but had a dopey grin on his face, like he couldn't control his face. Derek grinned back at him, giving him one last quick kiss before pulling back, offering Scott a wave and then headed out.

If he had butterflies in his stomach for the rest of the day, well, no one needed to know about that, did they?

It was late when his phone rang later that night. He'd just finished his shift and had walked in the door when his cell went off. He looked down, grinning when he saw that the caller id was telling him that it was Stiles. It was completely stupid, and probably not very smart, but he couldn't help but smile any time Stiles called him. He answered, jamming the phone between his ear and his shoulder so his hands were free to take off his holster, and kicked the door shut behind him. 

"Hey Stiles." He greeted, going about his usual after work routine with the phone still pressed between his ear and his shoulder, getting rid of his gun and his cuffs and locking them up properly.

"Hey. Scott wants to hang out with us. As a couple." He told him, sounding nervous. "I think it's going to be bowling, is that okay?" He asked. His voice sounded very small, almost mild. It wasn’t a tone of voice he would have associated with Stiles.

"Um, yeah. That... that should be fine." He assured him. In truth, he was kind of worried about hanging out with Scott. Everyone and their brother knew how close Stiles and Scott were, they were practically brothers and had been for years, which meant that Scott knew him better than anyone else in the world. That meant that there was a chance that Scott might be able to figure out that they weren't really dating. But it wasn't like he could say no. This was something he had to do to make it seem like they were a real couple. Stiles' real boyfriend wouldn't have any problem with it so Derek couldn't either.

"Cool. So is Wednesday good?" Stiles asked, sounding a little relieved. Derek hummed the affirmative, barely pausing to wonder at Stiles knowing his day off. By now he knew that Stiles knew a lot of things he shouldn’t feasibly know. He was a reporter, he always claimed it was his job to be a busybody. "Great. So we'll meet Scott and Allison at the Bowling Alley." He added. Derek's world came screeching to a halt.

He'd completely forgotten for a moment that with Scott came Allison. 

Scott having a girlfriend wouldn't be so bad, but Allison was Allison _Argent_ and the Argent's were the local hunters. His mother had a truce and an alliance with Victoria, the Argent matriarch and leader of their group, but it wasn't the type of relationship where they'd hang out in a personal setting. 

"Hey, you there? Did we lose the connection?" Stiles asked when he was too quiet for too long.

"No, no, I'm here." He assured him. "Bowling alley it is." He said, exchanging pleasantries and then hanging up.

It wasn't like he could say no to spending time with Allison, and he knew that Allison would be in much the same position as he was. It would be awkward but he'd get through it. He had to.

Stiles picked him up Wednesday, once again wearing Derek's leather jacket, like it had become a staple of his wardrobe. He really couldn't complain about that, both because he looked good in Derek's clothes and because it meant he was covered in his scent. He’d always been attracted to Stiles, since the moment he’d caught him and Scott trespassing on his property all those years ago after the rogue Alpha had nearly bitten them, and that included finding his scent alluring. But now, intertwined with his own, it was simply intoxicating.

He didn’t know how much longer he could survive this without just throwing Stiles down and mauling him in the best, most pleasurable way possible.

When they got to the bowling alley, Scott and Allison were already there, waiting outside for them. Scott offered them a bright smile, immediately starting up a conversation with Stiles, but Allison looked as hesitant as Derek felt.

"This doesn't have to be awkward." She told him after a moment, walking him a little away from Scott and Stiles so they wouldn't overhear their conversation. Derek couldn't help but snort.

"Oh really?” He asked doubtfully, arching an eyebrow at her and crossing his arms over his chest. “How could anything about this _not_ be awkward?" He added, waving his hand around to encompass the whole situation. Hunters and werewolves didn't just go around spending time with each other, it just wasn't done. Allison knew that as much as he did.

"There's the truce." She pointed out and he rolled his eyes. Yes, they had the truce, but it wasn't like either of their mother's were going to be inviting the other around for dinner any time soon. They still didn’t trust each other enough to not suspect the other of poisoning their meal and that probably wouldn’t ever change. "Look, this is just as weird for me, but I love Scott, and I love Stiles, and obviously you... have some kind of feelings for Stiles seeing as though you’re dating him, so we've got to get used to this." She pointed out, looking sincere. Derek sighed but nodded.

"It seems we do." He agreed.

"I know the Hale's are a peaceful pack. We've never had any trouble with any of you." She told him. "And, I mean, you did save my life from that omega a couple of months ago." She added, a hesitant smile lighting up her face. 

Derek nodded, remembering that incident. A lone omega had been passing through town, causing trouble, and it had brought the attention of both the Hale pack and the Argent clan. The Hale's had an oath to protect the town, to make sure the literal beacon for the supernatural was safe and protected, and the Argent's had a duty, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, so they'd teamed up to take him out. It wasn't the first time it had happened and it wouldn't be the last. 

The Argent's had a code, a code they lived by. Not all hunters were as honorable as the Argent's, or at least this particular branch of the Argent's were. Derek had grown up with tales of evil hunters out to kill werewolves, not because they'd hurt anybody but simply for being born what they were. Victoria and the group of hunters she led had never done anything like that. Apparently, when he was a kid, Chris Argent, Victoria's husband, had had a friend who was a werewolf and had realized they weren't all bad.

Things could have been very different though, if the rumors about his father were to be believed.

"And you saved mine too." He agreed. "So, we try not to let this be awkward." He agreed, holding his hand out for her to shake. She grinned brightly and nodded, placing her hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

"Hey, come on you two, let's head in." Scott called out to them, making them look over. Scott and Stiles were watching them with pleased smiles on their faces, obviously glad that they were getting along. Derek had to remind himself that Stiles' relief was merely because this would make things easier for the limited time they would have to pretend to be together, not because it was something he actually wanted or needed to happen.

Derek had never really been bowling before. The whole thing wasn't really something that appealed to werewolves. There was the whole matter of wearing shoes that didn't belong to you, the scent of countless other people permeating into your body from your feet not something they enjoyed. There was also all of the sounds in the bowling alley, from the sound of the balls hitting the ground and rolling to the pins, to the sound the pins made when knocked into and knocked over, to the machinery that dealt with the pins and retrieving the balls, to the sound of people cheering or talking or just breathing in such a confined place, not to mention the sounds of the video games over in the corner. 

No, it wasn't exactly pleasant for him.

"Whoa, you're looking even grumpier than usual." Stiles commented after a little while, sitting next to him and giving him a concerned look. "If you don't really want to hang out with Scott..." He started but trailed off, looking hurt at that thought that anyone wouldn't want to hang out with his best friend.

"No, it's not that." He was quick to assure him. "I just... I have a headache. I wasn't really anticipating the noise here." It wasn't exactly a lie because he _did_ have a headache and he really hadn't been thinking how bad this would be.

Stiles stared at him for a moment, a considering look on his face. He looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle, to come up with a solution, and it was a look he was used to seeing on his face so it made Derek smile. Just as Stiles opened his mouth to say something, Scott called that it was his turn. Derek smiled at him and pushed him away encouragingly, trying to assure him that he'd be okay. Stiles smiled back and leant in to kiss him really quickly before heading over to pick up his ball, a blush on his cheeks.

Derek was caught up in staring after him, feeling like he was so red that he might just be able to cook something on his skin, so he jumped when Allison plopped herself down into the seat next to him. "Here, this might help." She told him softly, placing something in his hand. He looked down and saw that she'd given him some earplugs, the kind that you put inside your ear and looked like you weren't wearing them at all. He stared at them for a moment before looking up at her, an astonished look on his face. She looked shy, like she wasn't sure he'd accept them, but he curled his fist around them and offered her a smile.

"Thank you." He told her honestly. "I didn't... I wasn't expecting it to be so..." He trailed off, knowing she’d know what he was talking about, and she nodded.

"I get it. I would have suggested somewhere else but Scott had already discussed it with Stiles and it's not like he'd know to say no. I know you haven‘t told him about… you know what. I‘ve been dropping hints since I found out about you two and nothing." She told him. He shook his head.

grinned and nodded, slipping the earplugs in.

“We’re not there yet.” He agreed. He knew that they never would be there. Their relationship wasn’t real and even if it was, he didn’t think he could ever do that again. Paige’s reaction to finding out about his secret was something that had fucked him up, obviously, or else he wouldn’t be in this fake relationship. Sometimes the look of pure horror and fear on her face as he’d shown her his other form kept him awake at night. He never wanted to put that look on anyone else’s face, he couldn’t even _think_ about seeing Stiles looking at him like he was a monster.

“Give it time. You’ll get there.”. She assured him, bumping his shoulder with hers. “I‘m just waiting on approval from my Mom to be able to tell Scott.” She added. He gave her a slight smile and nodded even though he knew it wouldn’t happen. 

He slipped the earplugs she’d given him into his ears, giving her another grateful smile for her thoughtfulness. Immediately it felt a lot better. There was still the scent issue, the florescent lights were still bugging his eyes, there was even still a lot of noise, but he imagined that the noise was now more at a level that humans dealt with. 

And to think, it was a hunter who’d looked out for him this way. Who’d have thought?

Still, when they'd finished their game and Scott suggested another round, he politely declined. There was only so much he could deal with, after all.

Instead of hanging around the bowling alley when Derek was obviously uncomfortable there, Stiles suggested going for a walk to the ice cream parlor just down the street for some dessert. As they walked, Derek took Stiles' hand and threaded their fingers together. Stiles gave him a shy little smile and pressed close to him.

It felt nice, the four of them walking together. Stiles and Scott were still trash talking each other over their respective final scores, providing background noise, and Derek and Allison kept exchanging amused looks at the colorful names the two friends were coming up with for each other. As weird as it sounded, it felt completely natural to be hanging out with these people. Even Allison, regardless of her hunter status. He kind of didn't want this night to end, not for anything in the world.

That feeling changed when they entered the ice cream parlor and his eyes fell immediately on not only Erica and Boyd, but also Cora, Jackson and Isaac too. 

Oh, he was so screwed.

"Oh my god, are you guys on a double date?" Erica squealed when she saw them, clapping her hands together and smirking at them. "Isn't this just _adorable_." She added, cooing at them in the fakest way imaginable.

"She's just jealous that you didn't invite her and Boyd on your group date." Isaac pointed out with a smirk, elbowing Erica in the ribs. Isaac and Erica had a close relationship, they were as close as siblings, maybe even closer than Derek was with Isaac and they were adopted brothers.

Isaac had had a rough life. He'd lost his mother at a young age and his father was an abusive son of a bitch. He'd had an older brother Laura's age, Camden, but he'd joined the army right out of high school to get out of the house. He’d had plans to come back for Isaac but was killed in combat before he could. When that happened, Isaac's dad had lost it completely. He used to lock Isaac in a freezer in the basement, fling emotional abuse at him and beat him up too. Cora had been in his year at school, had smelled the bruises he hid, the terror he’d been in, and gone to her mother about it. Talia had gone to the police with her fears and when they'd come to talk to Mr. Lahey, Isaac had been found in the freezer. He was immediately taken into state care and Talia had taken him in and eventually adopted him.

Erica had been newly bitten when all of this was going down and it had triggered her protective instincts like nothing before. Isaac had already known about them being werewolves, had already asked for the bite which was given to him after he graduated high school, but even if he hadn't, Erica's actions would have given it away. She'd treated him much like a mother werewolf would treat their children, had curled up around him, had drained the pains and aches his long-term abuse had left him with. Isaac looked up at her, even if she was sometimes a bad influence, and Erica adored him.

"I am not jealous." Erica claimed, holding her head high, but her act wasn't working.

Derek opened his mouth to ask if they wanted to join them for the rest of the night, but Stiles beat him to it.

"Well _we_ could go on a double date? And you can pick the outing?" He asked, giving her a tentative smile. Derek wanted to smack his hand over his face and groan. Giving Erica that kind of an opening was just asking for trouble.

"You, I like. Derek can keep you." Erica told Stiles, a huge grin spreading over her face. She wrapped an arm around Stiles' shoulders and pulled him in tight against her.

"Thanks?" Stiles asked, giving Derek a terrified look as though he knew exactly what he'd gotten them in to. Derek merely shrugged in return, no one could ever predict what Erica was likely to do.

"Count _us_ out of double dates, by the way." Jackson spoke up, his arm around Cora's waist and giving them a haughty look.

"Yeah, there's no way I'm going to hang out with my loser brother and watch him attempt human interaction." She agreed, rolling her eyes at them. "It would be like watching a nature documentary except all the animals fail at the actual mating part." She added, a smirk spreading over her face. Derek rolled his eyes, not taking her seriously. He knew she was as happy as the rest of the family that he supposedly had a boyfriend, this was part of her front. Same with Jackson, really. 

"Well I would _hope_ you wouldn't actually be wanting to see the mating part of it." Stiles pointed out, a shit eating grin on his face.

"Come on, Stilinski, _no one_ wants to see you mating." Jackson taunted, looking proud of himself.

"Pretty sure _I_ would." Derek found himself saying. "And that I _do_." He added. Stiles stared at him for a moment, his mouth dropped open, before a grin spread over his face.

"Suck on _that_ , Whittemore." He said happily, wrapping his arm around Derek's waist. It was a little hard to do with Erica's arm still around his neck, but he pulled Derek in close to him and turned to give him a quick kiss.

"Gross." Isaac and Cora complained, but the grins on their faces betrayed them.

"I think the word you're looking for, my friends, is _hot_." Stiles told them smugly.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Stiles on that one." Erica piped up, finally releasing him. "I'll get back to you about our double date plans." She told them, smacking Stiles' ass and then kissing Derek's cheek. "Later." She said, taking Boyd's hand and threading their fingers together, leading him out of the ice cream parlor.

After enduring eating their ice cream while being stared and laughed at by Isaac, Cora and Jackson, they headed back to the bowling alley so they could get their cars to go home. They said their goodbyes to Scott and Allison, Derek thanking Allison again for going out of her way to help him out when she really didn't need to make him more comfortable. Stiles seemed happy in the car and kept shooting him these happy little smiles as he drove which Derek couldn't help but return.

"Thanks. For tonight. Scott was feeling really down about me not telling him that we're supposedly dating but he felt a lot better after tonight." Stiles told him, standing in front of him at Derek's front door. Derek shrugged, leaning up against the door.

"Hey, no problem." He assured him. "I had fun." He added, because it was very, very true. He'd felt like maybe he could actually fit in with Stiles and his friends if they were really dating. That was a good feeling, even if nothing would ever really come of it.

Stiles grinned brightly, his whole face lighting up expressively. "Good. Me too." He agreed. "I know Scott did too. I think you got the best friend seal of approval." He said with a laugh, playfully punching his shoulder and pointing finger guns at him. Derek rolled his eyes but nodded, feeling pretty happy about that.

"Well at least the night wasn’t torturous. Unlike what Erica's probably going to put us through." He warned him. Stiles laughed and shrugged.

"Bring it on. Let me prove myself." He said and Derek had the distinct feeling that there was more than one meaning there. "Well, um, goodnight." He said, shifting on the spot for moment before taking a deep breath and throwing himself at Derek.

Derek found himself plastered to his own front door, having what was possibly one of the best kisses of his life. He didn't know why Stiles was doing this, it's not like there was anyone that they were trying to fool around them to see them. He found his hands migrating to Stiles' hips, pulling him in tight against him, and then let one of his hands travel it's way up Stiles' side, around to his chest. He paused there for a moment, feeling Stiles' heart pounding inside his chest, probably just as fast as Derek's heart was pounding. It was nice to feel it because he was too caught up in the kiss to actually hear it, even though he wanted to. From there he let his hand slide it's way up his shoulder and to his neck, angling it for a deeper kiss.

The scent of Stiles this close was intoxicating. There was a woodsy base to his scent, a lighter almost floral scent mixed in with it. There were traces of sugar, traces of coffee, traces of caffeine. The smell of approaching rain was mixed in and the scent of his sweat completed the picture. Then there was the overwhelming scent of arousal, both his own and Stiles', but he could also smell Stiles' nerves and happiness too. He was caught up in it all, as well as every swipe of his tongue against his own, the slide of their lips together and the sounds of their moans when they couldn't contain them. It was all perfect.

Finally, after some long, sweet, hot moments, they pulled apart and just stood breathing in each other's air for a moment. Derek let his eyes flit all over Stiles' face, drinking in this moment. Stiles finally stepped back, a shy smile on his face.

"Well, um, goodnight." He said, a blush beginning to bloom it's way over his cheeks. Derek nodded, unable to find his voice enough to return the sentiment. Stiles ducked his head shyly and spun on his heel, marching back to his car. Derek stayed stuck in his spot still pressed against his door as Stiles climbed in his car and then drove off. 

He was stuck there for a few moments longer, reliving the kiss, before he finally turned and fumbled his way inside.

All he could think of as he clumsily made his way inside was; what the hell was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So kisses! Kisses is good, right? Anyone care to guess what Erica's going to pick for their double date? *grin*


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek really hated Erica for this. Except he kind of didn't.
> 
> Okay, he really, really didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck, I'm terrible, I'm so sorry.
> 
> I know I'm really late with this chapter but I've been swamped and I just couldn't get the end of this chapter right. It was Father's Day here and then my Dad's birthday and I've been getting my bedroom ready to put new flooring down, which I'll be doing this weekend so I'm warning you now that the next chapter might be a bit late too. But like I said, another issue was that I couldn't get the end of this chapter right and it ended up being longer than I was intending as a result. So at least this is a long chapter? 
> 
> I hope you like it :)

Derek decided, he was going to disown Erica as his best friend. She'd brought it on herself, really. She'd gotten back to him about their double date and, of fucking course, she'd chosen pretty much the worst venue for their date possible. 

She'd chosen Jungle.

Derek wasn't big on noise, didn't really like crowds, and all the smells and sounds that came with a nightclub were definitely his worst nightmare. That wasn't even mentioning how much he was going to hate/love seeing Stiles in that environment.

He'd been to Jungle before, as much as he didn't like spending time there, his friends insisted on dragging him there. When he was there he’d seen Stiles on the dance floor. For someone who was so uncoordinated most of the time, he sure could move his hips to the rhythm and he could sure as fuck dance. It seemed like every time he found himself at Jungle, Stiles was there too, grinding it on the dance floor. He'd spent every time they were there at the same time staring at Stiles on the dance floor, indulging those dirty thoughts that he always denied he had about Stiles every other time of day. It was like the one time he’d let himself acknowledge his attraction.

"I hate you." Derek grumbled, sitting still and letting Erica fiddle about with his hair. He was glaring at her as she worked on his hair but it had no effect on her whatsoever. She was too engrossed in what she was doing, she was even humming as she worked, but she was also just really used to his glares. People (read: his family and closest friends) had told him that his glares lost their effectiveness after a short time. 

A very short time. 

He disagreed, but the evidence may have been to the contrary.

"You've been downgraded. _Boyd_ is now my best friend, you are now just his girlfriend." He added, well aware he was sounding childish but beyond caring. She snorted and finished with his hair, turning away from him to touch up her own hair and make up.

"Uh huh, sure." She said doubtfully. He couldn't blame her for not taking him seriously, it wasn't the first time he'd threatened that and they both knew it wouldn't be the last. His threat didn't really carry much weight though, seeing as though they both knew that he'd put himself in harm's way for her, he had done in the past and he would again, or he’d even die for her in less than a heartbeat. There wasn’t any question about that.

"I'm serious this time." He claimed. Even he could hear that his comment was weak, at best. 

"We're going to _Jungle_ , a place you _know_ Stiles lets loose at, I always saw the way you looked at him shaking his groove thang on the dance floor. But this time, instead of watching him from a _distance_ liking a creeping creepster who creeps, you can actually be pressed all up against that." She pointed out, her words mumbled out while she reapplied her lipstick.

Well, she had a point there.

"I'm a genius, you love me and you couldn't live without me in your life. Admit it." She said once she was done with her lipstick, turning around and siccing her smirk on him. He continued glaring at her for a couple of beats longer before deflating.

"I regret letting you have this much control over my life." He grumbled, pulling on his jacket. She laughed mockingly, pressing herself against his back and giving him a hug that was just a touch too tight, which was honestly her favorite way to hug him. 

It was his favorite way she hugged him too, not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

They'd organized to meet at the club because Stiles had a lead for a story he was working on, so Derek found himself standing out the front, feeling nervous. He had the ridiculous idea that he would be stood up, which was obviously ridiculous. They had a deal, Stiles would definitely live up to his end of the bargain like he had been so far. Maybe it was because of how their last outing had ended, with a kiss that made the fake date feel more like a real one. He had this fear that Stiles would just decide that Derek wasn't worth his time anymore, that this was all stupid and that would be it.

"Am I late? I feel late. I'm so sorry that I'm late." Stiles called out when he got there, running up to them from the side. He was flushed slightly from where he'd run from his car to the front of the club and Derek felt his eyes zero in on the way his chest was rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. He was again wearing Derek's jacket, but this time it layered over the top of a Henley that was slightly too broad in the shoulders, looking like it was actually Derek's shirt. By itself it wouldn't have fooled Erica and Boyd, but underneath the jacket it still had enough of Derek's scent to pass as the real deal. 

"No, you're not late, don't worry." Derek said, his words ending in a hiccup as Stiles darted in and kissed him quickly. 

"Mmm, you look good." Stiles told him, a grin on his face as he sidled in close to him, wrapping his arm around his waist to hold him tight. Derek nodded along, his own arm reaching up to wrap itself around Stiles' waist in return, pulling him even closer than he already was so they were plastered together. 

"So do you." He agreed, letting his hand slide down slightly so his fingers were just barely resting along the top of Stiles' ass. Stiles turned a beaming smile on him and leant in to kiss him again, the kiss a little deeper than before but not like they were shoving their tongues down each others throats.

Not that he'd mind Stiles' tongue shoved down his throat.

He'd actually really enjoy that, based on past experiences.

"Oh my god, I don't know if this was my worst idea ever or my best." Erica's voice broke through the moment, making them part. She had a salacious look on her face, looking like she was enjoying the show, but was edging her way towards the door, obviously annoyed that their hello was taking so long and cutting down on how long she had to dance.

"Your best. Definitely your best." Stiles assured her, a soft smile on his face that he then turned on Derek. Like every time Stiles turned a smile that soft on him, his breath was completely and utterly taken away.

It was moments like this, looks like that, that made him want to just take a chance and ask Stiles to make this something real, or at least try to. The only thing holding him back was remembering what had happened the last time he'd felt like this for somebody, Paige, and the heartbreak that he'd been left in when she'd run away when finding out about the real him. People didn't react well to learning that the person they were involved with was a monster, Derek couldn't put himself through that again. He _wouldn't_. He'd rather fake this and take what he could get while he could get it than let himself get wholly invested and left heartbroken, yet again, afterwards.

"Come on, let's head in." He told them all, taking a step back from Stiles but reaching down to take his hand to tug him inside.

Once inside, his first objective was to find a table. He wasn't one for dancing so he always spent most of his time at the table. He was usually left with the task of minding the ladies handbags, whoever was with him, whether that be Erica, Laura, Lydia or Cora, while everyone else danced. Most of the time, Boyd was with him at the table, unless Erica dragged him up to the dance floor to basically simulate sex all over him, so it's not like he was alone. And even if he was alone, he preferred to be at the table than on the dance floor.

Stiles was already starting to dance as they made their way to the corner that Derek preferred. He pressed himself against Derek's back and was shaking his hips to the music as they walked. Because he was pressed so close to him and he was moving his hips, all Derek could concentrate on the place where Stiles' crotch was pressed against his ass. It was something he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about long after the night was over.

It would probably be the basis of many a fantasy for years to come.

His usual scowl helped secure them a table and he gratefully slid into one of the chairs. He needed to space from Stiles being pressed against him, needed a bit of a breather. 

"Come dance?" Stiles asked as soon as Boyd came back from the bar with their first round of drinks and took his seat next to Derek, Erica giving her man a kiss before disappearing to the dance floor, like she usually did. He seemed to think that with Boyd at the table, Derek would be free to leave. 

Sure, he was _free_ to leave but he didn't really want to.

"Maybe later." He told him. Stiles sighed, realizing that the chances of getting Derek onto the dance floor were slim to none.

"Okay, sure. Later." Stiles agreed, darting in to kiss him again and then following after Erica.

"Derek." Boyd said, not sounding impressed. When Derek managed to tear his eyes off of Stiles shaking his ass on the dance floor to face his friend he saw Boyd giving him an unimpressed look, shaking his head.

"What?" He asked, having absolutely no idea what he could have done to earn himself that look. He’d barely even had time to do anything so he definitely didn’t know what Boyd was disappointed about.

"Every time we come here you spend the whole night with your eyes glued to Stiles. Usually around the ass area." He pointed out. Derek shifted a little in his seat, taking a pull of the beer to try to cover up his blush. He hadn't thought he was that obvious but apparently he was wrong. Both Erica and now Boyd had pointed it out, had he metaphorically been waving around a neon sign while he’d been staring or something? That was what it suddenly felt like.

"Your point being?" He asked snottily. He knew better than to deny it because it was very, very true.

"My point, my friend, is that instead of just _watching_ him shake his ass, you could actually be pressed up _against it_ for a change." He arched an eyebrow at him in that totally judgy way only he could pull off. He even went so far to take a long pull of his own drink, never taking his judgment filled eyes off of him, the bastard.

"Fuck you." Derek muttered, well aware he was being childish but not caring. Still, he found himself following the order that Boyd was sending with his eyes and slid out of his seat.

He got as far as the edge of the dance floor before his confidence or the spell Boyd had put on him wore off. With a quick glance over his shoulder at the unimpressed look Boyd was giving him, knowing he'd lost his nerve, he turned tail and escaped to the bar instead. He was a complete wimp, he knew it. Boyd was right, this was his chance to do something he'd been dreaming of doing for years. 

_Literally_ dreaming of. 

The amount of times he'd come home after a night of Stiles watching at Jungle and had had fairly explicit dreams involving the two of them on the dance floor, usually followed by the two of them stumbling home together, was ridiculous. 

It wasn't until the bartender made his way over to him to take his order did he realize he didn't really have a reason to be there. Boyd had already ordered their first round, a round of beer for everyone, so he didn't really need a drink. His eyes drifted to Stiles again and he found himself ordering one of their fruity drinks that came with a straw and an umbrella. Once it was in his hands, he hesitated for a moment before finally making his way through the crowd to the dance floor, coming to a stop behind Stiles.

He could practically feel Boyd's approving look on him. 

He did not appreciate it.

"Derek! You come to dance with me?" Stiles asked when he caught sight of him mid spin, the way he stopped right in the middle of the spin causing him to trip slightly. He threw his arms around Derek's neck, attempting to move in closer to him. Derek felt his neck heat up and quickly lifted the drink, before Stiles could get too close, shoving the drink in his face.

"I got this for you." He yelled, knowing Stiles needed to be able to hear him over the sound of the pounding of the bass. He didn't have to worry about that with Erica and Boyd, because of their advanced hearing, but he made sure Stiles could hear him.

Stiles gave him a confused look before his eyes slid to the drink. His eyes widened as he took the drink with slightly shaking hands and took a sip. 

"You... this is my favorite drink." He said in a tone that could only be described as awe. Derek nodded, a blush tinting his cheeks. He was glad for the dim lighting. Stiles took another sip of the drink, his eyes on Derek the whole time. It made Derek shift slightly because the way Stiles used a straw was almost obscene. "You got me my favorite drink." He said softly, obviously to himself because a normal person wouldn't have been able to hear him over the sound of the music so he would have no idea that Derek could hear him. 

After a few more moments of staring, and a couple more sips of his drink, he turned to where Erica was dancing by herself now that Stiles was distracted and tapped her shoulder. He muttered a 'hold this' and thrust the drink into her hands before throwing himself at Derek in an uncoordinated leap. 

They ended up butting heads, but the minute Stiles was finally able to get his lips on him they both forgot about anything else that existed outside of the two of them. Stiles wound his fingers up in Derek's hair, plastering himself all up against Derek's body. His hips were still swiveling slightly to the music and if Derek didn't know any better he'd think that his tongue was doing the same, what with the rhythmic way it was sliding against his own. 

He was in heaven, pure heaven.

Derek completely lost himself in the moment. They stayed pressed together at the mouth until the crowd around them pressed too close, jostling them out of the kiss and out of the moment. The look Stiles gave him, soft and sweet and tender, took his breath away completely. It was quickly replaced with a flirty, dirty smile as he started moving his hips to the beat again. 

Somehow Derek found himself dancing, drawn in by the almost hypnotic look on Stiles' face, beckoning for him to follow his lead. He was powerless to go against him. His hands clutched tightly to Stiles' hips, sliding down and around at Stiles' insistence to grab at his pert ass. If there was any time he was glad for ear splittingly loud music, it was right then, because the sound swallowed up the sound of his groan. 

Stiles had a perfect ass, no one could blame him for appreciating it.

Derek let his eyes drift shut, trying to block out all the other people and just focus on Stiles. He could hear his heartbeat, thumping out an even faster beat than usual. He could smell his delightful mixture of scents, heavily saturated with the scent of arousal, both his own and Derek's that he was leaking all over him. He could feel every single point of contact between their bodies, from his hands on Stiles' ass to Stiles' fingers woven through his hair, keeping him close, to their hips that were pressed together, to their chests where their hearts were pounding against each other, and finally, to their foreheads when Stiles used his grip to pull him in closer, breathing in his air.  
0  
Being this close to Stiles was a heady feeling.

"God, Derek." Stiles muttered right into his ear before starting to press a series of kisses along his jaw line, stopping to suck and nibble here and there. "How do you... how can you... why can't this..." He muttered, cutting himself off every time. Derek whined high in his throat, feeling a whole lot more canine than he had any right to at that moment for the sound, but he couldn't help it. He could taste the tinge of despair on the air between them coming from Stiles. He didn't understand it, had no idea where it had come from, but he wanted it gone.

With a lighting fast move, he removed one hand from Stiles' ass and instead moved it to cradle his jaw. He angled Stiles' head so he could capture his lips again, releasing a groan as he tasted him again. For a moment he wondered if Stiles would even return the kiss, but that thought didn't last long because Stiles accepted the kiss, letting go of his hair to instead wrap his arms around his neck and pull him closer. The kiss deepened and Derek had the distinct feeling that they'd stopped dancing, just making out on the dance floor. If they were closer to the edge of the room he would have dragged him over to a wall, pressed him against it, and ravaged him. 

He wanted to slide his hands up under Stiles' shirt, down under his pants, so he could touch bare skin. He wanted to reach down and undo Stiles' pants, wanted to undo his own. Wanted to sink to his knees and take him into his mouth. He wanted so much, so badly, but he couldn't. 

He _couldn't_.

And more to that, he _shouldn't_.

A tap on the shoulder broke him out of his Stiles induced haze. The fact that Stiles pulled away from him at the same moment showed that he'd been tapped too. The two of them looked down at Erica's smirking face. The drink Stiles had loaded off onto her was gone, she'd most likely drank it herself. She had her arms crossed over her chest and looked way too amused for the situation.

"Think I can get _my man_ on the dance floor for _my_ shot at reenacting a porn shoot?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at them. 

Derek flushed in embarrassment. A quick glance at the people around them confirmed that they'd drawn some stares, some not even bothering to turn away when he looked at them. One guy in his mid forties even winked at him and licked his lips, which just, no. A world of no. 

He dropped his hands from Stiles' body and took a step back. "Sorry." He mumbled, rushing back towards the safety of the table. Boyd gave him a confused look, probably at the embarrassed and hunted look on his face, but then Erica was darting in and stealing him away back onto the dance floor.

He couldn't believe he'd let himself get carried away like that. He wished he could blame intoxication for it happening but the only thing he'd been intoxicated with was Stiles. The reprieve from Stiles was needed, he needed to clear his head and remind himself that none of this was real. He didn't even dare looking up to try to locate Stiles on the dance floor again. That way lay madness and heartbreak, instead he just downed the rest of his earlier abandoned beer, now warm and not at all pleasant, especially seeing as though it would do nothing to get him buzzed like it would for a normal person.

A body slammed itself into the chair next to him and he looked up in surprise to see Stiles' happy, smiling face.

"You're fast when you want to be." He said with a grin, sliding in closer to him. "Erica should have just dragged Boyd on the dance floor. He's acting as her purse tonight anyway so it's not as though she has stuff here to mind." He pointed out. Derek shrugged, fighting to keep his blush down. 

"It's always good to have a table. She knows I prefer it." He explained, looking just to the left of Stiles' face, unable to look him in the eye after that.

"Noted." Stiles exclaimed happily, reaching out to put a hand on Derek's leg. "Well, it's not like the fun has to be left out on the dance floor." He said lowly, right into Derek's ear. The words confused Derek enough that he turned to look Stiles directly in the eye and got a lapful of Stilinski in return.

"Stiles, what...?" He started in confusion but was cut off by Stiles flinging his mouth at him. He couldn't help but return the kiss, his hands immediately moving to cradle Stiles' ass, partly to keep him balanced and partly just because he couldn't help himself.

After a few moments of Stiles absolutely attacking his mouth, there was no other word he could use to describe the passion with which Stiles was kissing him, he pulled back again.

"There's no one here to put on an act for." He said in confusion. Stiles' face fell slightly before he tacked on a determined look.

"Who knows, though. Could potentially be eyes everywhere." He muttered, diving in and kissing him again.

Well, with logic like that, how could he refuse?

The rest of the night passed in a blur for Derek. There was a lot of kissing going on and a whole lot of grinding. Stiles even managed to get him back up on the dance floor, a miracle as proclaimed by Erica when he was pressed between the two of them as they had some kind of ridiculous pole dancing competition, using him as the pole. Erica had demanded that he announce a winner to their competition and it was a total no-brainer because with all the rubbing against him Stiles had been doing, Derek wouldn't have even been able to tell you if Erica had even done anything. Plus Stiles was his 'boyfriend' so that made it easier to snort, roll his eyes, and proclaim Stiles the winner. It had earned him a rather enthusiastic kiss, which just made it all the more worth it.

At one point in the night, Derek managed to pry his face out of where he was sucking a whole bunch of hickies to Stiles' neck and spotted Erica getting handsy with Boyd on the dance floor, which meant that they'd lost their table. When Stiles reacted to the lack of attention being paid to his throat he whined and tugged harshly on Derek's hair to get him back to what he'd been doing, so it was quickly forgotten anyway.

In amongst it all, there was a lot of drinking going on. Derek kept plying Stiles with his favorite drink, which always resulted in Stiles downing it as fast as he could before throwing himself at Derek again. It was incentive to keep doing it so he did. Stiles bought him a myriad of drinks in return, seemingly trying to find something he'd actually like instead of just tolerate. He was absolutely delighted when the one drink Derek obviously enjoyed was the Appletini Stiles had ordered to be a dick. 

But thanks to all the drinking, when it was time to leave, Stiles was in absolutely no condition to drive. Derek was fine, but because he was used to having to play drunk to avoid suspicion, and because of the amount he'd had, he couldn't very well drive either. He called a cab, intending to take it to Stiles' place, get him situated, and then head home.

Stiles had other plans.

"That was a good night." Stiles exclaimed drunkenly as Derek fumbled him up the stairs to his apartment. "Such a good, _good_ night." He added at a lower volume, plastering himself against Derek's back and kissing along his shoulders.

"Stiles." Derek said in amusement, slapping his hands away when they wrapped around him and started sliding up and down his chest, rucking his shirt up higher and higher with each pass.

"Derek." Stiles mocked, his brows pulling down and frowning as he mimicked Derek. Derek couldn't help but laugh, finding him absolutely adorable like that.

"Keys?" He asked, reaching Stiles' door. Stiles grinned, leaning against his door and thrusting his hips forward.

"They're in my pocket." He told him, wiggling his hips slightly in a way that drew Derek's gaze, unable to help himself.

"Well?" He asked after a moment of just watching Stiles' wiggling get less and less coordinated. "Aren't you going to get them out so we can get in?" He asked. Stiles grinned deviously before jutting his lower lip out in a ridiculous (adorable) pout.

"My fingers aren't working. Get them for me?" He asked, a smirk lighting up his features. 

Derek rolled his eyes but reached into his pocket regardless. He really needed to get Stiles inside and getting a little close to his junk was not going to deter him from that. 

Stiles kept wiggling his hips as Derek worked his fingers around the pocket to find the keys and it caused his fingers to come in contact with his dick more than once. Every time they brushed teasingly over Stiles' very hard cock Stiles let out this little moan that drove Derek crazy and then just circled his hips again to do it again. Derek felt the keys and snatched them out, pulling his fingers clear of the danger zone, and reached past him to put them in the lock. Stiles took that moment to leap at him and wrap his arms and legs around him like an octopus, kissing him everywhere his drunken coordination could let him reach.

"Stiles, you need to stop." He warned him as he finally opened the door and dragged him inside.

"Don't wanna." Stiles retorted childishly in between kisses. "I'm drunk and I'm horny and it's your job as my boyfriend to take care of that." He said with a smile, blindly reaching past Derek to shut the door.

Stiles' clever hands reached between them and had Derek's pants undone before he knew what was happening, and then he was being pushed onto the couch and straddled as Stiles dove at him, sucking his tongue into his mouth.

"But I'm not really your boyfriend." He pointed out, pulling away and holding Stiles at arms length.

Stiles' face fell. He looked devastated and confused and frustrated. Derek felt bad. Stiles was drunk and getting things confused, he needed to get him some aspirin and put him to bed before he did anything he was going to regret later. Or anything worse than what he'd already _done_ that he'd regret later.

Just as quickly as his face crumbled, it steeled again. He slid down on the floor between Derek's spread legs, going down like a limp noodle in the least sexy way ever, despite the alluring look he was attempting to shine on him.

"A brojob then." He suggested, tugging Derek's pants down slightly and diving down to mouth at his lower stomach.

The mouthing didn't last long, Stiles slumping against him and letting out a rather large snore that did absolutely nothing to lessen the erection Derek had that was resting inches away from his sleeping face. Derek let his head fall back and threw his arm over his eyes.

His life. Only his life.

He wriggled his way out from underneath Stiles and then swept him up in his arms. Stiles let out a contented murmur and snuggled into him, which just made him smile. Thankful that he remembered the way to the bedroom, he stumbled in that direction, gently lowering Stiles onto the bed and bending to get rid of his shoes. 

Stiles' room looked like his wardrobe had exploded. He'd obviously been struggling to find clothes for the evening and it was so endearing that Derek could feel his heartbeat ratcheting up. The fact that Stiles had wanted to impress his friends made him so happy.

Getting Stiles out of his clothes kind of creeped him out. He wanted him to be comfortable as he slept, so the clothes had to go, but the fact that Stiles was sleeping the first time he undressed him didn't sit right with him. After thinking that thought he shook it off. This wasn't the _first time_ he was undressing him, it was the _only_ time. Nothing would happen with them, this was all fake. He wasn't going to just sleep with him while he had the chance, only to go back to nothing when they ended things. 

He knew himself, he'd get invested, and he couldn't let that happen. That way led heartbreak.

Stiles was still mostly hard when Derek managed to get his pants off of him but he studiously ignored it. He was still hard himself, wanted desperately to take care of it, all the while thinking about Stiles talented mouth and hands and hips, but he couldn't. Stiles was drunk, so, so drunk, he couldn't just leave him. Instead, he grabbed one of the blankets off the bed after tucking Stiles in and took it over to the armchair in the corner of the room, settling in for the night.

He awoke the next morning to pitiful sounding groans. Stiles was half hanging off the bed, looking like death warmed over, with a pillow halfway obscuring his face. He looked pathetic, looked like he wouldn't mind being put out of his misery.

"Regretting all that drinking. are you?" He asked, making Stiles shout in surprise and flail so much he fell off the bed. Derek rushed to help him and found him laying on the ground, a look of pure shock on his face.

"You're still here?" He asked, almost sounding like he was in awe. "You _stayed_?" He added. Derek nodded, giving a shrug.

"Couldn't have you choking on your own vomit, now could I?" He asked, offering him a hand to help him up. Stiles took it, still staring at him with that maybe awe filled look.

"Where'd you sleep?" He asked in confusion. It was clear he hadn't slept out on the couch, that was too far for him to have moved in order to startle Stiles so badly, but he also clearly hadn't been in bed with him either.

"Armchair. It's more comfortable than it looks." He said with a shrug when Stiles' mouth dropped open. In truth, the armchair had been extremely uncomfortable to sleep in, and if his healing hadn't kicked in he would have been left with a seriously sore neck, shoulder and back.

"It's a piece of shit, you're weird if you think that was comfortable." Stiles threw back at him before groaning as talking made his head hurt. Derek chuckled and made sure he was comfortable before heading out to get a glass of water and some aspirin for him. When he got back Stiles was just staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide, and turned those wide eyes on him when he returned. He noticed the water and aspirin quickly, his face softening into a warm smile. 

Derek sat on the bed, automatically raising his hand to rub against Stiles' head, taking some of his pain away. Stiles let out a soft moan, pressing up against the head rub, and let his eyes slip shut. Derek made sure he drank the whole glass, giving him a stern look and pushing the glass back again when he tried to stop before it was all gone, and received a fond looking eye roll for his trouble.

"How are you not as hungover as me? You drank almost as much as me, and you were mixing alcohol, you should be at least as hungover as me right now." He pointed out. Derek shrugged.

"I have a high tolerance for alcohol." He told him, which wasn't even a lie. "And I had plenty of water and aspirin before I went to sleep. It's not too bad now." He added. Stiles narrowed his eyes at him, obviously not sure whether to believe him or not, before sighing and flopping back against his bed again.

"I feel pathetic. Someone should put me out of my misery." He declared, spreading his arms across the bed and writhing on it. Derek smirked and grabbed one of his pillows, raising it up and holding it over Stiles' face.

"If that's what you want." He said with a shrug, lowering the pillow closer to Stiles' face as though he was going to smother him. Stiles let out a surprised bark of laughter and wriggled out of the way of the pillow. His legs came up and wrapped around Derek's thighs, rolling slightly so Derek went tumbling down to the bed, laughter spilling from his throat as he went down.

"You're such an ass." Stiles told him once his laughter had died off, his tone fond in a way that did funny things to Derek's heart.

"Takes one to know one." He countered childishly, setting Stiles off into laughter again and being unable to escape following him.

He wasn't usually like this, wasn't usually anywhere near this playful. Maybe once upon a time he had been, but heartache had done a good job of stamping that out of him. He could still be a bit of an immature ass with his family and with Erica and Boyd at times, but they were people he'd known forever, people he was comfortable with. By all rights, he shouldn't be this comfortable with Stiles, especially seeing as though none of this was real. 

Or at least, he didn't _think_ any of this was real. He was starting to question just how deep he'd let himself get.

"How about a nice greasy breakfast? Help you get rid of this hangover?" He asked, jumping out of the bed and putting some much needed space between them. Stiles gave him another fond look and nodded, snuggling further into the bed.

Derek nodded and did something he knew he shouldn't have. He leant down and pressed a quick, thoughtless kiss to Stiles' lips, as though it was something they did all the time. As though he had any right to it. 

He sprung back up and grabbed Stiles' keys from his bedside table where he'd thrown them the night before after Stiles was asleep. He was blushing brighter than he thought he'd ever blushed in his life. The move had just felt so natural. Obviously their act was working, it was moving in to times when they didn't have to put an act on for anybody. 

He wasn't sure what to do about it.

Stiles was in the shower when he got back, which was good. He needed to wash the alcohol seeping out of his pores away. Derek headed to the table in the kitchen and hummed to himself as he started laying their breakfast out. He had a smile on his face that he just couldn’t get rid of. The humming was weird, he wasn’t the type of person that hummed, but he just couldn’t help himself.

A gasp and a groan from the bathroom had Derek jumping to attention. He was halfway to the bathroom in full protective mode when the moan followed it. Now that he was closer he could hear the sounds the water beating down had blocked. Like the sound of flesh smacking against flesh, the squelchy wet sound the signaled that someone was beating off. 

Stiles was jerking off, and enjoying it immensely judging by the moans he was letting out. 

Derek was frozen in his place halfway to the bathroom. He didn’t know what to do. He knew he shouldn’t be listening, that it was a private thing, but he just couldn’t make himself move. A normal person wouldn’t have heard him, a normal person would just hear the sounds of the shower and not the sounds of masturbation. A normal person wouldn’t hear the cut off moans, the groans that someone only let out when they couldn’t help themselves. Stiles had no reason to think that Derek would hear him, which made him listening really wrong, but he couldn’t ignore it now that he knew what was happening, he’d hear it no matter what because now he was tuned in to it. The only way to avoid hearing it would be to get the hell out of dodge and leave the apartment completely, probably even the whole building, possibly the entire neighborhood.

He had a feeling Stiles wouldn’t appreciate coming out to a nice breakfast but an empty apartment.

No, Derek was doomed to listen. Those sounds would haunt him, that he knew. Once this was all over, everything would go back to normal for Stiles but Derek wouldn’t be able to stop hearing the sounds of Stiles getting himself off. It would pop up in his dreams, would spring up on him when he was taking care of his own needs, it might even make an appearance if he was with someone else. It was almost like torture, teasing him with something he couldn’t have.

“Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, yes.” Stiles muttered, his pace increasing, those squelchy sounds picking up as he obviously neared his orgasm. “Derek, fuck, Derek, yes.” He moaned out as he came, panting his way through the entirety of his orgasm.

Derek felt like he’d been hit with a bolt of electricity. His name. Stiles had moaned his name. That was a sound he’d definitely never be able to forget. 

Such sweet torture.

It wasn’t until he heard the bathroom door open some time later did he realize he was standing in the middle of the room like an idiot. He’d been so hung up on hearing Stiles moan his name in the throes of orgasm that he’d gotten stuck for a moment and lost a little bit of time.

Unfortunately, he also noticed that he was visibly aroused and, well, that just would not do.

Quick as a flash he darted for the kitchen table, falling into a chair seconds before Stiles entered the room. His cheeks were rosy red, easily passed off as being from the heat of the shower, but Derek knew better.

Good god did he know better.

“Mmm, food.” Stiles moaned out as he glided into the room, taking the seat opposite Derek with a smile. Derek pasted a tight smile to his own face, trying to focus on anything other than the moans coming out of Stiles’ mouth of he dug into his food.

Too much moaning in such a short period of time. It was doing things to Derek, and he really didn’t want to end up coming in his pants like a horny teenager.

“Eat up. Let the grease soak up that alcohol.” He told him, his voice scratchy and tight as he tried to get control of himself.

Eating with Stiles wasn’t really helping the situation in Derek’s pants. He kept moaning and groaning and wriggling in his seat. The way he ate was nearly obscene, the look of his face as he savored the food was nearly pornographic, added to his accidental show earlier and it was almost too much for Derek to take.

Thankfully, after the food was gone, things settled down. They talked, they laughed, Derek teased Stiles about how abysmal his attempts at dancing had gotten the drunker he’d gotten and Stiles teased Derek about the only alcoholic drink he’d been able to stand being an Appletini.

It was good, it was nice, it was incredibly domestic.

It was everything Derek wanted and everything he was frightened of letting himself have. Which meant it was his cue to leave.

“Thanks for last night. I know Erica and Boyd enjoyed it. You made a good impression.” He told him, standing at the door. Stiles didn’t look too pleased at the prospect of him leaving, but he had to.

“Good, I’m glad. I really like them, I’m glad they like me.” He told him, causing Derek to smile. He could still remember when people saw his friends as non entities, having someone say they liked them could always put a smile on his face. “I had a good time last night, and today. I hope you did too?” He asked, looking at him from under his lashes. Derek couldn’t help but smile and nod because he did, he really did.

Stiles leant in and pulled him into a quick kiss that Derek couldn’t help but return it, no matter that it was another one of the - quickly building in number - kisses that weren’t necessary for their act.

“I’ll see you later.” Derek said once they’d pulled apart, still staying close, unable to pull away completely. He could see Stiles’ eyes darting to his lips and licked them in response. Stiles’ heartbeat kicked up at the move and a tinge of arousal entered his scent.

Yeah, Derek had to get out of there before he did something he’d regret later.

Still, he gave him one more kiss and then got the hell out of dodge.

Oh yeah, he was so, so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tra la la, hint of smut :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](http://kimmi-watch.tumblr.com/). Come say hi and feel free to follow me.


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